Sleeping at the Wheel
by racefh853629
Summary: So come on, come on we can be saved, the lives we live, the wars we wage... Rated for future themes.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own Blue Bloods, CBS, or any other known entity. Story title and description come from "Sleeping at the Wheel" by Matchbox Twenty, which I also do not own. The title for this chapter comes from the song "Bleeding Out" by Imagine Dragons, which (again) I do not own. I do own Allie and a few other characters that are likely to appear as the story progresses. Darker themes arise in later chapters, so please be forewarned. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 1: I'm Bleeding Out

"Police! Stop!"

Jamie groaned as Evan Vance, the suspect they were chasing, ran even faster. Jamie and Eddie had been gaining on Evan when some 'concerned' citizens stepped in the way, armed with phones set to record video. Jamie nearly trampled over them, which caused him to lose his footing momentarily. Eddie kept up the chase, cornering Evan as they flushed him toward other officers who were waiting.

Evan turned, lashing out at Eddie with a knife. He caught her in the arm, gashing her deeply. The other officers quickly took Evan down as Jamie finally joined them. He tended to his partner as the other officers took Evan away.

"Took you long enough," Eddie quipped.

Jamie just rolled his eyes.

* * *

Danny hovered at the desk as Linda made her way out from behind a curtain. "I know you're here for your drug dealer, but you're gonna have to wait," she told him. "Dr. Kurtz is in with her right now."

"That's okay, I'm just enjoying the view," Danny replied, smiling.

Linda gave him a mocking look. "Yeah, because the ER has _such_ a wonderful one of those."

"It does when you're here."

She looked at him. "Sweet talk won't get you in to see her any quicker."

He shook his head.

"Yeah, okay," a young woman said as she started walking out from behind another curtain further down. "Keep that up, and you're gonna be banned from the midnight show." She shook her head, walking over to the desk where Linda and Danny were standing. "Hey, Linda, do me a favor and page a _real_ doctor for the gentleman in room 9, will you?"

"Oh?" Linda replied, amused.

"Yeah, apparently I'm far too young and far too pretty to be anything other than a stripper. And he _swears_ he saw me dancing last night at the club, wearing nothing but a smile." She turned to look at Danny as if he were there every day and not a stranger to her. "Hi."

"Hi," Danny replied.

"Dr. Allison Daniels, Danny Reagan, my husband," Linda introduced.

"Nice to finally meet you," Allie said, extending her hand toward Danny. "I've heard _a lot_ about you."

"You have?" he asked, shaking her hand.

"Oh, yeah. _Tons_."

He furrowed her brow at her.

"Hey, I never break a vow of silence," Allie said, winking. She turned back to Linda. "So, I'm going to head down there to put through these drink orders for table 9, and then I'm going to practice my dance moves on one of the poles in the cafeteria."

Linda chuckled. "Okay, Allie."

"Nice to meet you, Detective."

"Danny," he told her.

"Allie. I'll see you in a bit, Linda." She walked away, and Danny looked at his wife.

"_That's_ the new trauma doctor you were talking about?" he asked her.

"Yep," Linda replied.

"How old _is_ she?"

"Somewhere around Jamie's age, I guess."

Danny looked at Linda. "Don't go gettin' any ideas now."

She shook her head and feigned an innocent look. "I would never attempt to hook your brother up with a beautiful, intelligent, _single_ young woman."

He scoffed. "He's doing just fine."

"Who is?"

Danny spun around quickly to find Jamie standing behind him. "What're you doing here, kid?" he asked rather than answer the question.

"Ahh, Eddie got swiped when we were chasing down a perp," Jamie replied. "Came here to get her stitched up."

"The doctor's in the middle of something, but I think she's due to see Eddie soon," Linda said.

"That's fine. The bleeding's stopped, anyway."

Linda shook her head, knowing that Jamie was being more sarcastic than serious. "It's a busy day. Car accident, with several victims."

"Nothing too severe, I'm assuming. Otherwise, you'd all be running around like crazy."

"Still busy."

He shrugged slightly.

"Oh, be _still_ my beating heart," Allie drawled as she walked back over, fanning herself with her clipboard. "Why, if it isn't _Dallas_ himself in the flesh. My, my, my."

Danny and Linda looked at each other as Jamie laughed and turned around.

"Well, well, well," he said. "Looked at what the cat dragged in."

"The cat had nothing to do with it," Allie said in her normal voice. "How the hell are you?"

"I'm good," he said as he hugged her tightly. "How about you?"

She shrugged. "Eh, settling in, I guess." She let go of Jamie and stepped back. "So, do lawyers get to play dress up? Because if I had known that, I probably would've chosen a different career path…"

He shook his head. "No, they don't. There have been a few changes. What about you? I didn't think pedi docs used the adult ER as their playground."

"Is _that_ where I am? Because I could've _sworn_ I was at da club…"

Linda laughed softly while Danny shook his head.

"What?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, I'm a stripper today," Allie said with a dismissing shrug.

"Oh, okay," he replied.

"So, of all the ERs in all of New York City, you end up in mine. But, you don't look sick or hurt, so who's our poor injured party?"

"My partner, Eddie."

Allie glanced down at her clipboard. "Ahh, yes, Officer Janko. Next on my hit list." She smiled, gesturing for Jamie to take her arm. "Lead on, MacDuff."

Jamie shook his head but played along. "Still see-sawing with your sanity, huh?"

She chuckled. "Only way to survive in the ER."

Linda glanced over at Danny as Jamie and Allie walked away. "So, what were you saying about gettin' ideas?" Linda asked.

Danny just gave her a look.

* * *

"Officer Janko," Allie said as she walked through the curtain with Jamie. "I have to say, on behalf of the staff here at Saint Victor's, I do apologize. I can only _imagine_ what you must be going through, having to ride along with _him_ every day."

Jamie groaned. "Bite me," he told her.

Allie scoffed slightly. "I'm a little busy at the moment tending to your lovely partner. But, if you want, you can get in line behind the guy at table number 9."

Eddie looked between the two of them. "How do you two…?" she started.

"Harvard," Jamie and Allie said simultaneously.

Eddie nodded. "Ahh."

Allie snapped on a pair of gloves before pulling the gauze off of Eddie's arm. "Ooo, what a pretty sharp force injury we have here," she commented.

"Thanks, I try hard," Eddie quipped.

"Mmm, not hard enough. You could do better."

Eddie snorted a soft laugh.

"Alright, I'll grab a suture kit and an intern, and we'll have this done in no time, sound good?"

"An intern?" Jamie asked.

"It's a teaching hospital," Allie explained. "I'm gonna show 'em how to do the pretty decorative stitches." Allie winked as she walked out the door.

"So, I guess you weren't kidding when you said you'd go find a doctor," Eddie started. "But, I didn't think you'd start dating her so quickly."

Jamie just rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Hey, Natalie," Allie called out as she walked back toward Linda at the desk. "Grab me a suture kit from supply and I'll show you something awesome."

"Okay!" Natalie Charles, one of the interns, replied.

Allie turned to Linda. "Hubby went in with Dr. Kurtz's pharmacist?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's finally lucid enough to interview," Linda replied. "So, how well do you know my brother-in-law?"

Allie shrugged. "Well enough, I guess. We both went to Harvard. He's a good guy."

"You like him," Linda said.

"He's a good guy," Allie repeated. "It's good to see him again after all this time."

"You two should catch up. Go for coffee or drinks or something."

Allie shrugged as Natalie came over. "We'll see what develops." She looked at the kit in Natalie's hand. "Perfect. Alright, Nattie, let's go have us a little home ec class, shall we?"

* * *

"So, that's it," Allie said as she finished the last stitch. "Not too bad, huh?"

"Is it gonna scar?" Eddie asked. "Because, I'm totally game for that."

"Nah, I'm too good to give you scars. Just pretty designs. But, I gotta warn you. If you come back again, I'm gonna draw turtles or something more fun."

"You can stitch turtles?" Natalie asked.

"Sure," Allie replied. "I did a few fun designs while stitching kids in the pediatric ER. Kids never cried about getting their wounds stitched while they were watching an artist draw a turtle with suture silk. Parents didn't mind, either, because the kids were happy. They wanted to see what the doctor was drawing."

"…seriously?"

"No, not seriously," Allie replied with a head shake and an eye roll. "I _can_ sew designs, self-taught, but I would never do that on a patient."

"What if I requested turtles, though?" Eddie asked.

Jamie sighed.

"Eh, maybe next time," Allie replied. "Alright, Natalie. Your reward for your involvement is to finish up the discharge for Officer Janko. I gotta see to another matter. Eddie, it was nice to meet you. Take care of yourself, huh?"

"Will do," Eddie replied.

"Jamie, good to see you again."

"Good to see you too," Jamie replied.

"Take it easy," Allie said, making her way out of the room.

Eddie looked over at Jamie. "You are not _seriously_ going to let her walk out without getting a number, are you?" she asked.

Jamie arched his eyebrows.

"Oh, come on!" Eddie continued. "You _have_ to! Your best friend from college that you lost touch with comes back into your life, and you're just going to let her go?"

"It's not like I don't know where she works," Jamie countered.

"Yeah, but you should definitely get her number. Or at least give her yours."

"And don't do that thing where you say it's 911," Natalie added. "Girls really don't go for that."

Eddie and Jamie looked at her.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Natalie said. "Here's the paperwork you need to sign, and you'll be on your way."

"I'll, uh, catch up," Jamie said as he headed out of the room.

"Atta boy!" Eddie called after him.

* * *

"No, I will _not_ send in another damn stripper, just because you like red-heads better," Allie said as she walked out of room 9. "My God."

Jamie chuckled softly. "Still pleasing the crowds, I see," he said.

"You know how it is. I'll do anything within reason."

Jamie smiled.

"So, what can I do for you, Dallas?" she asked as she sat behind a computer.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go out and get a drink," he said. "We could have a chance to catch up without us being interrupted by requests for stripping and turtle stitches."

Allie laughed softly. "Yeah, sure. When and where?"

"After shift tonight, and I know a place." He pulled his card out and scribbled a number on it. "Call me when you get off."

She arched her eyebrows.

He glared lightly. "You know what I mean."

Allie simply smiled.

"So, call me when your shift is over, and we'll catch up."

"Sounds like a plan." She stood up, walking around the desk. "I'm really glad to see you again," she said as she hugged him tightly.

"You too," he replied, hugging her back as tightly.

"I'll call you later."

He let go of her, and she went back behind the computer. As he started to walk away, he turned around. "Ciao, Principessa."

She smiled. "Ciao, Dallas."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I appreciate them. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. Title for this chapter is from "The Finish Line" by Train. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 2: You Really Thought You Knew Everything to Do

"Sorry I'm late," Allie said as she hurried into the bar.

Jamie smiled good-naturedly. "No worries," he told her. "I just got here myself."

She shook her head accusingly. "You forget, I can read you like a book."

The bartender placed a beer before Jamie and a glass of sangria in front of Allie.

Jamie smirked, knowing he'd been busted.

"I can't believe you still remember white, not red," Allie said.

"Of course I remember," Jamie replied. "We went out for drinks so often, I bet you can still remember what my order is, too."

She smiled as she took a drink from the glass before her. "So, the last time I saw you, you were a year away from being a lawyer. What happened?"

Jamie shrugged. "I finished. I even passed the bar. But I felt like being a cop was more for me than being a lawyer."

She smirked. "Told you so."

He smiled back. "Yeah, I know. So, what about you?"

Allie bobbed one shoulder. "Went down South, learned a few things, went further down South, learned a few more things, and then came back up this way."

He narrowed his gaze toward her. "There's more to it than that."

She laughed. "Takes more than one sip to get me to open up. You know that, Dallas."

"Just like I know there's no guarantee you will at all," he said.

"Yep," she said, taking another drink. "So, how's Sydney doing? Judging by your hand, I'd say no longer married."

He shifted on the stool. "She's… okay, I guess. I haven't talked to her, but I hear about her from our mutual friends."

"Who called it off?"

"She did."

"Being a cop's wife too much for her?"

He shrugged. "We never got married. She wanted to get ahead in her job, and I was focused on being a rookie and learning as much as I could about my job." He sighed softly. "I wasn't very supportive of her."

"Was she supportive of you?" Allie asked.

Jamie didn't answer, choosing instead to drink his beer.

She nodded, more to herself than to him. "Always the gentleman," she commented. "Take the fault for her. But that, my friend, sounds a little double sided."

"And you?" he asked.

She scoffed dismissively. "Family got in the way."

"You _knew_ his family was nuts going into it," he reminded her.

She shrugged. "Didn't know it was _that_ bad."

He nodded slowly, realizing that she was lying. Well, maybe not _lying_, but she _definitely_ wasn't saying everything.

"Stop analyzing me," she said, giving him a look.

He shook his head and smiled.

"You know what?" she started. "Let's move away from failures, shall we? How's the family?"

* * *

"So, the date went well, then."

Jamie sighed as he rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a date," he said, dodging a passerby as they patrolled the street.

"Oh, no?" Eddie countered. "Because you haven't stopped smiling since you saw her at the hospital the other day."

He smiled lightly.

"See? There you go again."

He shook his head.

"So, is she single?" Eddie asked.

"Divorced, I think," Jamie replied.

"You like her."

Jamie shrugged. "She was a really good friend of mine throughout college."

"So, let me get this straight," Eddie said. "You two were really good friends, but you hadn't seen each other in years?"

Jamie took a drink from his coffee. "Sydney wasn't really crazy about us hanging out, and I'm pretty sure Aaron disliked it even more."

"Sydney being your ex, and Aaron being hers?"

Jamie nodded. "Leah and I, we always felt like if we hung out without them, we were hurting them. But it always felt awkward to hang out as two couples, because Syd was always so focused on school and what to do afterward, and Aaron… his ambitions changed with the wind. Short of going back to home to the South, that is. So, after Leah graduated and she moved to Virginia with him, she and I would exchange emails and letters, but you know how that goes."

Eddie nodded slightly. "Fades over time."

"Exactly." Jamie took a drink from his coffee.

Eddie smiled to herself. "So," she started. "When are you planning to see her again?"

"I promised her I'd take her around to some of the lesser-known sights."

"Ahh, the traditional getting acquainted with the city thing. Cute."

Jamie shook his head.

"I feel like you're totally taking a page from every romantic comedy from, like, the last hundred years," Eddie continued. "What, did you have to sit through movie night with your niece and sister recently?"

"No," Jamie replied. "And, for your information, it's because that's the type of person Leah is: she's all for smaller places where people know your name. It's where she feels most comfortable."

"So, then, why the hell did she move to New York City? We're not exactly known for our small town charm."

Jamie shrugged slightly. "She's a trauma doctor. We're a busy city for that. Plus, we have a lot of schools and options to teach, and she's big about giving back."

"So, why haven't you already made her a Reagan?"

Jamie sighed, annoyed. Though, as Eddie noticed, he didn't answer the question.

"Did you ever try to reach out to her after you and Sydney broke up?" Eddie asked.

"I think I heard from her every year around Thanksgiving or Christmas, maybe even a birthday," Jamie replied. "Seemed to be the only time we kept in touch."

"But clearly you two were still thinking about each other after all those years."

He shrugged. "We were good friends. I try to hang on to mine. Maybe you should try making a few…"

She shoved him playfully.

He laughed lightly.

"12 David on the air," the radio crackled, effectively cutting off the conversation.

Eddie and Jamie looked at each other. "12 David, go," Jamie said into the radio.

"Back to work," she sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I apologize for the delay... things have been really busy lately. See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title for this chapter is from "If You Ever Come Back" by The Script. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 3: And I Wish You Could Give Me the Cold Shoulder

"I missed this."

Jamie glanced over at her as they walked through the park. "What, giving me a hard time?" he asked.

Allie nodded with a proud smile.

He shook his head, but smiled all the same.

"And, really, just being able to talk to you," she said. "You always were easy."

Jamie cringed somewhat as the double meaning hit him. "How did _that_ one get around?"

She chuckled slightly, holding her hands up in the air. "Hey, don't blame me. Blame Dana."

His face flushed pink as he shook his head. "I didn't realize you and Dana were that close."

Allie shrugged. "She was in town one day, called me up, we went out. Not too much to the story."

Jamie stopped walking, which caused Allie to stop, too. "So, let me ask you something," he said.

"Okay," she replied, confused.

"When, exactly, do you plan to stop hiding behind the lies and the half-truths?"

Allie shrugged again as she looked down, shuffling the sand at her feet. "Maybe when we stop hanging out in public places." She looked up to catch his gaze. "You know I hate talking about serious things when I have an audience."

Jamie gave her a look. "Sweetie, this is New York. Even in a crowd of a thousand, you're still alone. No one's watching you."

She shook her head, looking down again. "Doesn't matter."

He sighed heavily, more from pain and concern than from annoyance. "What are you running from this time, Allison?"

She didn't say anything, choosing instead to start walking. He made a soft noise before following her.

"I can help you, Leah," he told her as he caught up. "You know that."

"I know," she said quietly. "But right now, I don't really need the white horse."

He made a face. "Must be really bad if you're talking in metaphors."

She shook her head. "It's not."

"As you like to keep telling me, I know you. I know what you do when you're hiding something. And, you're hiding something."

"Jamie, please. Just stop. Please."

Jamie did stop. Walking, that is. Allie stopped again too, though this time, she was slightly more annoyed. "Seriously? Twice with the dramatic pause? You've been watching too many chick flicks."

Jamie cleared his throat before gesturing at the gaping hole a few feet in front of her. "I think we need to detour," he corrected. "That is, unless you want this to become really chick-flicky and I'm helping you up off the ground after you fall."

"Shut up," she said, walking away.

He smirked to himself as he trailed behind her.

* * *

"So, remind me again, what's the problem?"

Allie rolled her eyes. "Do you have _any_ idea how annoying your brother-in-law is?" she countered.

Linda shrugged. "You could do worse, you know," she said, moving the file in her hand to the side of the desk.

Allie sighed. "Been there, done that."

Linda arched her eyebrows, but Allie turned back to the chart before her, effectively stopping that line of conversation.

* * *

"So, something's wrong with this picture," Eddie said, picking at her bagel as they sat in the car on patrol.

Jamie nodded, taking a drink of coffee.

"Like, something's _bad_ wrong, or something's just wrong?"

Jamie sighed, shaking his head. "With her, you never really know."

* * *

"Did it ever occur to you to just be honest with him?"

Allie shrugged as she closed the chart on the counter. "It's not about honesty," she replied.

Linda looked at her. "So, what _is_ it about, then?"

Allie shook her head. "I don't know."

* * *

"Self-preservation?" Eddie asked.

Jamie shrugged slightly. "Probably," he replied.

"Why, exactly, would she bother to try to hide anything from you? You're her best friend."

"_Was_ her best friend. And then she graduated and moved on."

"But, she obviously still cares for you."

"I don't know."

* * *

"Do you trust him?" Linda asked.

Allie gave Linda a look.

Linda held up her hands slightly. "I'm just asking."

"Of course I trust him," Allie said.

"Then why not be open with him?"

Allie looked down at the counter solemnly. "It's a little bit more complicated than that."

* * *

"Do you think she's in trouble?" Eddie asked.

"It's hard to tell with her," Jamie answered. "Even if she is, you'd probably never know for sure. She's usually a master at hiding things from everyone. She's just slightly more transparent to me."

"So, then, what kind of vibe are you getting from her?"

Jamie sighed softly. "Mixed."

"Mixed how?"

* * *

Allie shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered quietly.

"Dr. Daniels, we have trauma inbound," Kara, one of the triage nurses said.

"Blunt, sharp, or penetrating?" Allie asked.

Kara shrugged. "Could be any or all. Motor vehicle accident."

Allie nodded. "How many?"

"Two victims five minutes out, two ten out."

Allie nodded again. "Alright, ladies and gents," she said to the staff members nearby. "Get ready for the worst." To Linda, she said softly, "pray for the best."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! They're much appreciated. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title for this chapter comes from "What Do You Want From Me" by Adam Lambert. There's a little bit more background into Allie in this chapter, and more about their past. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 4: Once Upon a Time, I Didn't Give a Damn

"You have a really nice place," Allie said softly as she stepped in.

"Thanks," Jamie replied, closing the door behind her.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Last minute trauma case: head injury. Neuro and I had a long consult about prognosis."

"Neuro?"

"Dr. Whittmore was the resident of the day. Nice guy. His wife works in pediatrics."

Jamie smiled softly.

"Anyway, sorry," Allie said.

Jamie shrugged slightly. "No need to apologize. I understand. Always seems to be something right before end of tour, huh?"

"Yeah, something like that."

He looked at her critically. "You okay? You seem distracted."

She shook her head. "Not a good day in the E.R."

"You wanna talk about it?"

She sighed heavily as he handed her a glass of wine. "A woman came in today, clear case of intimate partner violence. Guy had burned her with a curling iron, but she didn't want to report it."

"Burned her with a curling iron?" Jamie asked skeptically.

"On her abdomen," Allie said. "She said she dropped it, and managed to catch up with it against her stomach. But the burn was too consistent and too… much of a degree, I guess you could say, to have been an accident."

He sat down on the couch with his wine, and she followed suit. "What do you mean by degree?" he asked, shifting so his left hand was behind her right shoulder.

"Consistent second to third degree," she replied, watching the wine glass in her hand. "You don't usually get one like that just from dropping it. That's typically a sustained burn… that iron had to be there for more than the split second reaction of dropping a hot implement. You know what I mean?"

He nodded.

"And she had several other bruises on her ribs and abdomen… I'm sure she had more injuries, but she wouldn't let me examine her much further. She was anxious, wanting like hell to get out of there as fast as she could. I figured she only came because someone made her, like her coworker or something. But, she was acting like she had to run somewhere. I just wish I could have spent more time with her, talking to her."

"Yeah," he breathed softly. "That's tough. But, she has to want to talk and come forward."

Allie rolled her eyes. "I'm well aware of that," she said curtly.

Jamie nodded, choosing to rub her shoulder rather than say anything.

She sighed softly. "I'm sorry," she said calmly after a few moments.

He shook his head. "You never have to apologize," he told her.

She rested her head against the back of the couch as he continued to rub her shoulder gently. "I forgot that."

He smiled lightly.

"You know it's still a two-way street though, right?"

He nodded again.

"So, if something was bother in you, you'd tell me, right?"

"As much as I could," he replied.

"So, then, what's bothering _you_? And don't tell me it's nothing."

"I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"I'm okay," she told him.

He looked at her. "That patient struck a nerve in you."

"All abuse victims do. You mean to tell me they don't for you?"

"They do," he affirmed. "But, it's different for you."

She looked back down at her wine glass instead of saying anything.

He stroked her shoulder lightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really good company tonight," Allie said somberly.

"Hey, it's okay," Jamie replied. "You and I both know that I haven't always been a ray of sunshine either."

"True." She smiled. "In fact, I'm pretty sure most of the time, you were complaining about Danny or Erin. Or both."

"Yeah."

She shifted closer to him. "I remember when Joe died."

Jamie nodded, looking down slightly. "I remember when Michelle…" he let his voice trail off.

Allie sighed, shifting again.

"Sorry," he told her.

"Hey, I started it," she replied. "I mentioned Joe."

"Joe was murdered. Michelle…"

"Committed suicide," she finished for him.

"Your little sister."

"Your older brother."

"Killed by fellow officers."

"Wait, what?" she said, turning to face Jamie.

Jamie shifted, retracting his arm slightly. "Uh, yeah," he said quietly. "He was killed by The Blue Templar."

"The Blue Templar?"

"It's a long story."

She nodded, but didn't say anything more.

"And it isn't going to make you feel any better about today," he added.

"I'm not sure talking about today is going to make today any better," she said.

He nodded, smiling. "Well, the way I see it, we have two choices. We can order in from somewhere, or we could chance cooking."

She chuckled softly. "The last time we tried cooking together, we nearly burned down the building."

"That's because someone forgot to set a timer," he reminded her.

"Hey, the timer was _your_ department," she said. "After all, _I'm_ the one that did all the damn work in the first place."

"Because you're a better cook than me."

"You have dinner with your family every Sunday."

"That doesn't mean anything. I'm mainly used for cutting vegetables, washing dishes, and drinking beer."

"Hopefully not all at once."

He shrugged, smirking. "I can multitask."

She rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Chinese it is, then," he said. "Best delivery in the area."

"I'll take your word for it."

"I'm gonna order," he told her, getting up from the couch.

"Oh, don't forget…"

"Extra duck sauce," he finished for her. "I know."

She shook her head as he placed the order. When he sat back down, she said, "you know, it's kind of weird that you remember every detail after all these years."

Jamie shrugged. "I still remember Sydney and Aaron's orders, too," he replied.

Allie shrugged. "Fair enough."

Jamie put his arm behind Allie again, and she rested her head against him. "So, how Alex?"

She smiled softly. "Surviving. Like the rest of us."

"You heard from Kevin?"

She scoffed. "No one hears from Kevin anymore. Or Katie, for that matter. Actually, I take that back. _I_ tend to hear from them, but mostly in the context of, 'hey, sis, I need money.'"

"Especially now that you're making the big bucks as a trauma doctor."

She shook her head. "And all those loans and malpractice insurances to pay for."

He shrugged. "Just don't kill anyone."

She laughed lightly. "I'm God now?"

"If you are, what would that make me?"

She paused for a minute before grinning. "Lucifer, the angel that likes to go off the reservation."

He chuckled.

"You know that it's not gonna end well if you keep acting like Danny, right?" she said.

"Allegedly," he replied.

"Allegedly acting like Danny?"

"Yeah. Danny's not as nice as me."

She laughed softly. "That's debatable, depending on the day."

"You don't know Danny."

"No, but I do work with Linda, which is just as good as actually knowing Danny."

He laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title of this chapter comes from "Bitter" by Nine Days. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review!

* * *

Chapter 5: If I Could Change Anything, Then I Would Wipe the Years Away

Jamie was in the kitchen with Linda, cutting up vegetables for dinner while she tended to the roast. "So, how are things with you and Allie going?" she asked.

Jamie flushed slightly but shrugged. "Hard to say," he told her.

"You like her."

It was a statement, not a question, as Jamie noticed. He shrugged somewhat. "She's a good friend."

"It's more than that."

He chose not to say anything.

"If she feels the same, then what's the hesitation?"

"There's something going on with her," he replied.

Linda looked at him curiously. "Like what?"

Jamie shook his head. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it's bad enough that she feels like she has to warm up to me again before she'll tell me."

"Have you ever just asked her?"

Jamie gave her a look.

"What?" she said. "I'm just asking."

"She didn't mention it any time that I _did_ ask. Kept changing the subject."

"What do your instincts tell you?"

Jamie sighed heavily. "It's about her ex-husband. I'm just not sure what, exactly, it is."

Linda put the roast back in the oven. "She doesn't talk about him, ever, at work."

Jamie shrugged as he chopped the last carrot. "He's… I don't know."

"Who is?" Erin asked as she came into the room.

"No one," Jamie replied, wiping his hands on the towel.

Erin looked at Linda as Jamie made a hasty exit from the kitchen. "So, what were you two talking about?" she asked Linda.

"His new girlfriend," Linda replied.

"Wait, he has a girlfriend?"

"Not one that he's admitting to."

Erin furrowed her brow. "I'm confused."

Linda looked at the door Jamie walked out of. "Me too."

* * *

"So, Jamie, when do we get to meet her?" Erin asked after Grace had been said.

Jamie looked at Linda.

"Who?" Danny asked.

"His girlfriend," Erin answered.

"She's not my girlfriend," Jamie said.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together," Linda commented.

"She's a good friend."

"It's more than that."

"Can we change the subject, please?"

"Is that the doctor you work with?" Danny asked Linda.

"Allie," Linda answered with a nod.

"She's cute."

Linda arched her eyebrows at Danny.

"She's just a friend," Jamie reiterated.

"You like her," Erin said.

"Should we start asking you about your boyfriend?"

"I don't have one," Erin said, blushing slightly.

"And I don't have a girlfriend."

"Why are you fighting this so much?" Linda asked.

"I'm not fighting it," Jamie said.

"She is?"

Jamie sighed, realizing the battle to change the subject had long since been lost. "It's complicated."

"Complicated how?" Danny asked.

"She have kids?" Henry asked.

"No, she doesn't have kids," Jamie said.

"Just an ex-husband," Linda added.

"Aaron."

"Friend of yours?" Danny asked.

Jamie shook his head. "Only through her," he answered. "But he didn't really appreciate it when her and I would hang out."

"Where is he now?

Jamie shrugged. "I don't know."

"Why does it matter where he is if they're divorced?" Nikki asked.

Jamie didn't answer.

"_Are_ they divorced?" Henry asked.

"She's using her maiden name," Jamie answered. "I don't know if it's official, but she's done."

"Are you sure?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. She wants nothing to do with him. But, what I'm not sure of, is if he actually signed the papers."

"If he hasn't, that makes you the other man. You home-wrecker."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "I'm not dating her."

"No, you're just showing her around town and making sure she's well fed," Linda commented.

"Oh, so you _are_ dating her," Erin said.

Jamie shook his head. "I give up," he said, looking at his plate.

"You should bring her to family dinner next week."

Jamie shook his head again. "No."

"Come on! Let her meet the family!"

"That's supposed to get me to agree?"

"She's already met Danny," Linda said. "That's the worse one."

"Thanks, honey," Danny retorted.

Linda just smiled.

* * *

Jamie sat on the back porch with a glass of Scotch. Frank sat beside him with a cigar and a Scotch. Neither one spoke at first.

"She isn't divorced," Frank said after a few moments.

Jamie looked up at him.

"She filed the papers, but he didn't sign them."

"Of course he didn't," Jamie said, taking a drink.

"She also filed for an order of protection."

Jamie stiffened slightly, knowing the implication. "Did she get it?"

Frank shook his head. "She moved out of state, voiding out the request."

Jamie nodded, sighing softly.

"You don't seem surprised to hear any of this," Frank observed.

Jamie shrugged. "I know her well," he told his father. "I can always tell when she's avoiding something."

"So, why not ask her then?"

"I did. She wouldn't tell me. But, I figured I could still get answers."

"Behind her back."

Jamie took a drink. "I kind of already had some answers," he said. "She didn't really care where she worked when she graduated, as long as she had a job. She only went down South because of Aaron. So, I figured something had to have happened to bring her back up here. She left him for a reason, and I kind of figured it had to be really serious if she wouldn't talk about it."

Frank nodded. "Are you going to confront her about it?"

Jamie sighed, taking another drink. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

* * *

But he knew what he was going to do.

Aaron knew it wouldn't take long to find her, even in a city as large as New York. She was an ER doctor, certified in Trauma. And there were only so many ERs in the city. Plus, a friend of his had tipped him off. He had it narrowed down to two places. A week of stakeouts would net him his answer.

And then, he'd get her back.

Another thing that wouldn't be hard. After all, they were still married. She still belonged to him. And once he reminded her of that, everything would be back to normal.

Yes, within a month, they'd be home. And everything would be exactly how it was supposed to be.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm sorry for the slow updates. I've had quite a bit going on, and I had another story that I really needed to finish. Anyway, see the first chapter for the disclaimer. Title for the chapter comes from "Made of Steel" by Our Lady Peace. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 6: Your Secret's Safe With Me

Allie swirled the wine in the glass as she hesitated. "It's not that I don't trust you," she started quietly.

"Then, what is it?" Jamie asked gently as he turned to face her more on the couch.

She shifted in the chair beside him, almost inching away from him.

He watched her patiently.

"I'm afraid," she admitted in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Of him, or of telling me the truth?" he pressed slightly.

"Both."

He nodded quietly.

"I know you already know the answers to your questions anyway," she continued. "So, why do you really need me to say it?"

"It's not that I need to hear it, but that I think you need to talk about it."

She sighed heavily. "I don't know that I can."

He shrugged one shoulder. "You told me about your parents."

"That was different."

Rather than attempt an argument to the contrary, Jamie said, "look at me."

Allie obliged.

"Nothing you tell me is going to change the way I feel about you."

She nodded slowly as he put his arm around her. She settled against him gently as she again played with the wine. "Then, you should know, it wasn't always bad," she said eventually. "He went through cycles. Hot and cold. Loving and attentive to distant and angry. I never knew what I was getting from one minute to the next."

He nodded.

She took a drink from the wine. "He didn't hit me. At least, not at first, not while we were in Boston. I think he knew that when he did, I'd be gone. He started out making me feel like a princess, which changed into making me feel like I wouldn't survive without him. And, part of me believed him because at that point, we had been together for so long, I couldn't remember life without him."

Jamie said nothing as a tear fell down her face. One that she quickly scrubbed away.

"You remember how Aaron was," Allie continued. "How his mood shifted so quickly."

He nodded again.

She sighed softly. "He used to always say that we were married, and that we'd stop being married only when he said we were done. He said that's how it works in his town. And his mom actually warned me that if I ever wanted out of the marriage… well, he better damn sure be dead, because a respectable woman never leaves her man."

"Yeah, well, a respectable man never hits his woman," Jamie said.

"Like I said, at that point, he hadn't. He just…"

"…belittled you," he finished for her.

She shrugged slightly. "Something like that."

He pulled her closer.

"He'd make me feel like I was the perfect person, someone he loved more than anything in the world. And then, two minutes later, I couldn't do anything right. I worked too much, I wasn't home enough, I wasn't pretty enough. I was the smartest girl in the world. I was so sexy. I was perfect when the lights were off. Just, everything."

Jamie considered commenting on Aaron's faults, but chose to nod instead.

"But, I really couldn't leave him. I didn't have anywhere to go. Especially not after one of my friends at work started to think that something wasn't right, so she confronted him. Next thing I knew, we left Virginia for Tennessee."

He rubbed her shoulder gently.

She looked down at her glass. "I got his message loud and clear. No one can know anything." She sighed heavily. "That's when everything got a lot worse. He blamed me for taking him away from his family. For being the reason we had to move. Like I really could have changed anything. I wasn't trying to tip her off or clue her into anything."

"You did nothing wrong," Jamie said softly.

Allie shrugged. She fell silent for a few moments before continuing with, "the first time he hit me, it was just a slap across the face. And he apologized right away, saying if I just didn't make him so angry…" She shook her head. "That night at work, I started to plan my way out. Applied to jobs all over the country. Told him there were a lot of required medical conference to attend because of the new healthcare reform law."

He nodded.

"If he knew I had lied, he probably would have killed me. I made excuses to siphon money into a separate account. Saved up enough money, and I was out of there. Stayed with Matt until I could afford my own place."

"You could've called me," Jamie said.

"I thought you were still with Sydney," Allie said. "Casey knows I'm not a threat, though."

He chuckled softly. "Casey figures I'm not much of a threat either."

She smiled at his comment briefly before it faded. "The rest, I guess, you know."

He shook his head. "Not really."

She shifted again, and he waited patiently. After a moment, she said, "I ended up in the ER one night in Tennessee. When I tried to tell the nurse what happened, that Aaron had hit me, she shook her head at me and told me that if that were the truth, the police would have brought me in. She also mentioned that I obviously wasn't good enough to him if he had to force me back into line. Then, once the doctor came in, she told him, in front of me, that I was there from falling down the stairs."

Jamie groaned softly. "She lied," he said.

Allie scoffed lightly. "He didn't believe her, but I had figured that she had already entered it into the record her way, and that wasn't going to change."

"That's illegal. Falsifying a medical record."

Allie shrugged. "It's her word against mine. All she has to do is convince people that I didn't disclose to her, and she's in the clear."

Jamie shook his head. "That's wrong."

"Doesn't matter anymore," Allie dismissed.

"How does it not matter that she falsified your medical record?"

"Because, I don't live down there anymore. I don't live with him anymore."

"You're still married to him," Jamie pointed out.

Allie sighed heavily. "Only because he won't sign the damn papers," she said. "It's not like I still want to be with him. I filed them for a reason, Jamie."

He nodded slowly.

"I just… I don't know, Jamie."

"I'll help you any way I can," he told her sincerely.

Her only reply was a nod as she settled against him. He pulled her closer, breathing in her scent. She closed her eyes, feeling comfortable for the first time in a long time. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

"Anytime," he replied, matching her tone.

She picked up her head, kissing him gently on the lips. He returned it slowly, pulling her closer to him. After a moment, she pulled away, resting her head in the crook of his neck as she settled up against him. He, in turn, rested his cheek against the top of her head, thankful for having her back in his life.

Someone he loved, had always loved, and someone he knew he would always love, no matter what.

He just hoped she felt the same.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm sorry updates have been so slow. It's been hard to get into writing this story sometimes. At any rate, see the first chapter for the disclaimer. I hope you all enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 7: Can't You See You Belong to Me?

She froze in her place the minute she saw him.

Linda, who was also in the room at the time, watched Allie's reaction with a curious glance.

He looked up at her with a bright smile. "Allison," he said happily.

Allie inhaled slowly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Aaron," she said steadily.

Linda furrowed her brow as she looked at the chart in front of her before looking back at Aaron. "You registered at the desk as Mark Sanders," she said. "I've got a copy of a license and an insurance card."

"I changed my name," he told Linda dismissively, his attention focused on Allie.

"Of course you did," Allie remarked. She shook her head. "Another doctor will be in to see you shortly."

"Allison, wait."

She left the room without looking back.

* * *

"Hey, I thought you were working," Jamie said as he answered his phone.

"Jamie, he's here," Allie said nervously.

Jamie stopped the car abruptly, causing Eddie to spill her coffee. "Dude, what the hell?" she snapped.

"Where?" Jamie asked into the phone, ignoring Eddie's outburst.

"Here, in the ER. He came in with a superficial knife wound, probably self-inflicted just to get him in the door." Allie sighed softly. "I… I'm just… I'm not sure what to do."

"Do you want me to come down there?"

"I don't know."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, really. I left before he could."

"Does he want something?"

"I don't know," Allie reiterated.

Jamie hesitated, waiting for her to say something.

"Linda's in the room with him," she said after a moment. "He had registered under another name… Mark Sanders."

"So, he's using an alias?"

"He said he changed it."

"Legally?"

"How the hell should I know if it's legal? I didn't check his damn papers. But, knowing Aaron?"

"Probably not," Jamie finished for her.

"We can run him in for fraud," Eddie suggested.

Jamie looked over at her.

"What? It's just a suggestion."

Allie sighed softly. "I think it'll be okay," she told Jamie. "Dave's here today, so he's gonna take Aaron's case for me. And, thankfully, he also doesn't ask too many questions."

"Okay," Jamie said. "But, if anything changes…"

"I'll call you."

"Okay."

"Thanks, Jamie. I love you."

He shifted in his seat. "I love you too." He hung up his phone and looked over at Eddie. "Let it out," he told her.

"Nothing," Eddie replied. "Just, if he's really that bad of a guy, we shouldn't let him get away with it."

"With what? All he's done in New York is show up at a hospital. There's nothing I can put on him."

"Harassment? Menacing? I don't care, just as long as we run him in."

"But, we can't touch him unless he does something. We can't legally make anything stick without a complaint, and we don't have one."

Eddie sighed in annoyance.

"And he's smart enough to know that."

"That sucks," Eddie said.

"Yeah," Jamie sighed.

* * *

"You can't avoid me forever," Aaron said, walking up to Allie after his arm had been stitched up.

"Go home," Allie replied, turning away from him.

"Not without you."

"You'll never be leaving, then." She moved to go behind the desk to put some distance between them.

"You're still mine," he said, grabbing her arm and stopping her.

"Let go," she said softly.

"No. You are mine, and you are coming back with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Now, let go of me."

Aaron tightened his grip. "No."

* * *

When his phone rang again, Jamie immediately said, "what happened?"

"Jamie, it's Linda," she said into the phone. "This guy, Aaron. Who is he?"

"Allie's ex-husband."

"Right. Well, somethin's not right with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he started asking me all this personal information about her."

Jamie handed Eddie her lunch. "What kind of information did he want?"

"If this is about your girlfriend's ex, I'm going to shoot him," Eddie told Jamie.

"He wanted to know where she lives, if she's seein' anyone, things like that," Linda said.

"What did you tell him?" Jamie asked her.

"Nothing. Not only is it against policy to divulge that kind of personal information, I wouldn't tell him a damn thing because of the way she reacted to him." Linda paused for a moment. "Did he hurt her?"

Jamie didn't answer, leaning against the car.

"Hey, Jamie, can you hold on a sec," Linda asked.

"Sure," Jamie replied. He heard muffled voices in the background before Linda said, "I would hold off on that for now."

"Jamie, do you think you can come down here?" she said into the phone.

"What's up?" he replied.

"Aaron's holding Allie, I guess, and one of the other nurses said it seems to be getting worse. If security comes by to get him…"

"He'll find another way to get to her," he finished. "Okay, we're on our way."

"Okay, thanks."

* * *

"I have a lot of work to do," Allie told him as she attempted, again, to break free.

"Not until we talk about this," Aaron replied.

"We have nothing to talk about. It's over between us. Just sign the damn papers."

"It's not over. You're mine. You belong to me."

"I'm not property. I have rights."

He pressed her against the wall. "Oh, you do?"

"Yeah," she said softly, noticing the dark change in his eyes.

"What about my rights? You had no right to leave me alone and with nothing. You're supposed to be paying me alimony, at the very least, but mostly, you're not done until I say you're done. Which also means you have no right for a protective order."

"You had no right to hit me," she whispered, fighting to keep her fear from her voice.

"You were out of line, just like you are now. And you will pay for all of this when we get home."

"How am I out of line? You're the one that put me in the hospital."

Aaron leaned in closer. "Be glad that I still love you, because I can just as easily put you in the morgue."

"Leah!" Jamie called out as he and Eddie walked up. "Triage told us to just come on back. Eddie needs that follow up look at her arm after that gash." Jamie stopped. "Aaron, hey, I haven't seen you in years. How's it going?"

"Fine," Aaron replied as he backed away from Allie.

"Right this way, Eddie," Allie said, quickly ushering Eddie away from the men.

"You're a cop now?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah, for a few years," Jamie replied.

"Figures," Aaron scoffed. "So, you banging my wife?"

"No, I'm not sleeping with Leah. And, actually, I was under the impression she was no longer your wife. I mean, she did leave you in the South to come up here. She was trying to get away from you. She doesn't want you anymore, Aaron. She filed for divorce and an order of protection."

"She's just confused. She'll come around. And when she does, everything'll be back to normal."

"You think you'll be able to go back to getting away with hurting her?"

"You think that's what I'm doing? No wonder Sydney left your ass. You have no clue how to properly treat a woman."

Jamie snorted slightly. "I'm not going to argue with you on that point. But, what I am going to do, is ask you to leave the ER right now. Go home, Aaron. Not to a hotel, but back home to Virginia or Tennessee or wherever, I don't care what you choose. Just go home, and leave Leah alone."

"Or, what? You'll arrest me? Doesn't that constitute a conflict of interest? After all, I'm still her husband. And you, you're just the jealous mistress."

Jamie chose to ignore Aaron's dig, instead repeating, "go home, Aaron."

"Not without her," Aaron replied. "And if you ever threaten me again, I'll bring you up on charges. You can't pretend forever. She'll come running back to me."

Jamie gestured down the hallway. "You've disturbed business enough for one day. There's the door."

"I will be back. You know that."

"I'll be around."

Aaron stalked off as Jamie watched. Linda walked over to Jamie after Aaron was gone. "Can you run him in or something?" she asked.

"Only if Leah makes a complaint," he replied. "And even then, it's better if Eddie or even someone else files the paperwork and brings him in. Otherwise, he's right. It'll look like I'm out to get him."

Linda sighed heavily. "She needs help, Jamie."

"I know. But I don't know how much I can help her if she doesn't want it."

"She called you, though, right? So I mean, she definitely wants your help."

Jamie sighed. "I know. I just hope she's talking to Eddie."

* * *

"I can help you," Eddie said.

"I don't know about that," Allie said softly, shaking slightly as she sat down on the bed.

"Just, tell me what happened. I can run him in, get him off the street."

"He'll find a way out."

"Allie, listen to me. There are witnesses. He attacked you. Don't let him get away with it."

Allie sighed quietly.

"I'm not trying to force you here," Eddie said. "Just, if you wanna come down and make a statement later, that's okay too. But you're not alone here, Allie. We can help you if you let us. We can protect you."

"He'll find me, just like he did here," Allie said quietly. "I'm not safe anywhere."

"We can protect you," Eddie reinforced. "I promise you that. But you need to make a statement."

Before either one could say another word, Allie's pager went off. After glancing at it, she sighed. "I can't," she said. "Not right now. Apartment fire, lots of inbound victims."

Eddie nodded. "Okay, but please, come by either later tonight or tomorrow," she urged. "Get on the record. Get him away from you."

Allie nodded in lieu of a verbal response, standing up and walking past Eddie to prepare for the influx of casualties.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I sincerely apologize for the delay between chapters. Life has been pretty busy lately. I appreciate you all sticking it out with me here. See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title from this chapter comes from "Straitjacket Feeling" by All-American Rejects, which I also don't own. I hope you enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 8: Yesterday Was Hell, But Today I'm Fine

She wiped her palms on her pants, trying to keep her nerves at bay. He noticed this with a smirk. "You okay?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, fine," she replied. "Just going to see the police commissioner and a house full of Catholics who probably think I'm Mary Magdalene because I'm dating you when I'm technically still married."

"Well, I could go hunt him down and kill him, which would solve a lot of problems."

She looked at him.

Jamie looked back. "It's not your fault he won't sign," he told her. "You filed for divorce. You moved away…"

"He followed," she said.

"Stalked," he corrected.

Allie shook her head. "Whatever you want to call it. I just don't know if now is a good time to be meeting the family."

"Now might be the best time, seeing as how we just came from the 55."

She sighed softly.

"Extra eyes looking out for you," he added.

"If they like me," she said.

"Linda likes you, and she's not easy to win over."

"She liked Sydney."

"But she wasn't always fond of Jack."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Jamie reached over the shifter and grabbed her hand gently. "Everything will be alright," he told her. "Have faith."

Allie looked at him. "You know how hard that is for me," she said quietly.

"Well, if you can't have faith, can you at least have some trust in me?"

"I _do_ trust you."

"Okay, so trust me when I say, everything will be fine. They will love you."

"I hope you're right." She sighed softly, shifting in her seat. "I hate meeting the family."

"Hey, they aren't as bad as Aaron's family."

Allie glanced at him.

Jamie shrugged slightly. "Okay, at least I _hope_ they aren't as bad as Aaron's family."

"I'm not sure that's possible," she said.

"Have you _really_ met Danny?" he retorted.

She laughed lightly. "Come on, you know you love your brother."

"Much in the way I love a good trip to the dentist."

She shook her head. "Your sarcasm is noted. However, I know you care a lot more about Danny than you say."

Jamie said nothing as he pulled up behind Erin's car. "You ready?" he asked as he turned off the car.

Allie inhaled deeply and breathed out slowly. "I think so," she replied.

"You'll be fine," he assured her, squeezing her hand.

She nodded, opening the car door at the same time as him. He took her hand as they made their way up to the house, entering through the kitchen where Linda was cooking the potatoes while Erin was tending to the chicken in the oven. "Hey, Linda," Jamie said. "Hey, Sis."

"Jamie, can you get me the baster?" Erin asked, not turning away from the oven.

"Sure," he said before Allie could jump in.

"Hey, Allie, good to see you," Linda said.

Erin quickly turned away from the oven, noticing the young woman her brother walked in with. "Hi," she said. "Erin Reagan."

"Allie Daniels," Allie replied. "And, I'll happily shake your hand when one of them's a little less juicy."

Erin smiled as Nicki walked in.

"Hi," she said to Allie. "Nicki Reagan-Boyle. You must be Uncle Jamie's girlfriend."

"Allie Daniels," she said.

Erin glanced at Jamie, who said nothing to her as he simply handed her the baster.

"Where are the boys?" Jamie asked as he looked at Linda.

"Playing outside," she answered. "I think Henry's with them."

"Dad here?"

"Not yet," Erin interjected as she finished up in the oven. "He mentioned he might be late, with that arsonist running around."

"Right," Jamie said. "Danny's case."

"Yep," Linda said.

"Anything new?"

Linda shrugged.

Jamie nodded. "You guys need us?"

"I think we have everything under control," Erin told him.

"Okay, good." Jamie turned to Allie. "Want to go see the boys?"

"Sure," she replied.

"We'll see you guys in a bit," Jamie said, taking Allie's hand and leading her out of the kitchen. "Now's when they start to whisper about us," he explained quietly as they made their way outside.

"My favorite part."

* * *

"Is she usually that quiet?" Erin asked.

"No," Linda answered. "She's kinda nervous. I think she really likes him."

"Definitely," Nicki said.

Erin and Linda looked at her.

"What? I'm just saying."

"She'll probably open up more at dinner," Linda said. "She's better at conversations than introductions."

* * *

Jamie started playing with his nephews, which led to Allie standing alone next to Henry. "So, why New York?" he started.

Allie shrugged. "It wasn't Tennessee," she said. "It was somewhere I could blend in without standing out. Somewhere I already had friends, so I would be starting over without _really_ starting over."

He nodded, thinking on her answer for a moment before asking, "why Jamie?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "have you _met_ your grandson? He is the perfect gentleman. He's funny, strong, and amazingly brave. I'm not exactly sure how and why he ended up with me, especially with what I bring to the party, but I think it has something to do with the fact that we were both what each other needed at one of the darkest points in our lives."

She paused for a moment as she watched Jamie. When she was ready, she turned back to Henry. "I made a mistake with Aaron," she continued. "A bad one. Lost… a lot of friends. But Jamie… he's got this way of knowing me better than I know myself. He knows everything: the good, the bad, the horrible… even the unspeakable… and he's still there. He's always been there. I love him for that."

She paused again, taking a deep breath. "If I'm being honest, I think Aaron and Sydney both thought that Jamie and I loved each other more than we loved them," she said. "At least, I know Aaron felt that way. He hated when I would hang out with Jamie alone. Any of my other guy friends, he was okay with, but Jamie… Jamie, he hated." She shrugged. "Still does."

"Where is Aaron?" Henry finally asked.

She shrugged again. "I don't exactly know. In New York somewhere, though."

"Does Jamie know that?"

She nodded, shuffling an area of dirt off the patio.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked.

Allie nodded again, albeit more slowly. "I will be."

* * *

Danny and Frank made their way into the house as everyone sat down for dinner. After Grace had been said, Erin jumped in with, "so, Allie, how do you like New York?"

Allie shrugged. "It's good," she replied. "Keeps me busy."

"Okay, I gotta know," Linda started. "Where did you two get the nicknames?"

"Which ones?" Jamie asked as Allie said, "Dallas and Leah?"

"Yeah, them," Linda replied.

Jamie looked at Allie, who nodded. "Everyone always called her Allie," he explained. "I started calling her Lee, but she hated that, so I started calling her Aleah, which became Leah. Sometimes Principessa."

"That's sweet," Nicki said.

"What's that mean?" Sean asked.

"It's Italian for princess," Jamie answered.

"Awwwww," Erin, Nicki, and Linda said, making Jamie blush.

"What about Dallas?" Linda asked.

Allie shrugged lightly. "His initials are J.R.," she said.

"That's it?"

"That's it. That's why he thought I needed a unique nickname, because he got one from me."

"How did you two meet?" Nicki asked.

"Mixer at Harvard," Allie said. "Pre-law and pre-med. I was a senior, and I think you were a sophomore, right?" She looked at Jamie.

"I didn't go to the first one," he said. "Sydney made me go to the second year one."

"And I've made him regret it ever since."

He nodded. "Pretty much."

She smiled at him.

"You guys are gonna ruin my appetite," Danny commented as he took a bite of his chicken.

"Is that a bad thing?" Allie asked Jamie more than anyone else. Jamie simply smirked in response.

"Funny," Danny said.

"How's the case going?" Jamie asked, changing the subject.

"It's not good. The guy's using devices made out of lightbulbs, and then when it blows up, the floor catches quick."

"Because it's soaked with something, right?" Allie said.

"Yeah," Danny said. He looked at Jamie, who shrugged.

"What does he douse the floor with?"

"Alcohol."

She nodded. "Short window of combustion there."

Danny groaned, rolling his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

"What type of alcohol does he use?" she asked, ignoring his attitude.

"Usually vodka or tequila."

She took a bite of her food. "Why alcohol?" she asked. "I mean, it's easy enough to buy a gas, which would give you more time for someone to come home or for you to get away. And, why those choices? Why not rubbing alcohol, which is much cheaper? Or why not rum?"

Danny paused for a moment, thinking. "You may be on to something," he said.

"There's gotta be a reason he chose alcohol, right? Do his targets have anything in common? Are they owned by a raging drunk or something?"

Danny shook his head. "No, they have no connection that we've found. Different owners, different tenants."

"So they gotta be personal to the arsonist somehow."

"Nothing's popped so far, but I _do_ have an idea." Danny got up, kissing Linda and the kids. "Jamie, marry that girl."

Jamie glanced over at Allie, who blushed slightly.

* * *

Allie had offered to help with the dishes, but instead found herself sitting in the study with Frank as Jamie did them instead.

"Drink?" he asked her.

"Sure," she replied.

"Scotch alright?"

"Works for me."

He poured two glasses, handing one to her before sitting down. "I know about Aaron," he told her as he took a drink from his glass.

She sipped hers in response.

"I also know about the report you filed earlier today," he continued.

She nodded slowly.

"Did you ask about a protection order?"

"Yeah," she said finally. "An officer… Hollins, I think his name was, was going to track him down so they could serve the TRO. I have to go before the courts tomorrow to make it more than an emergency one."

Frank nodded. "Is Jamie going to go with you?"

Allie shrugged. "I'm not sure. He sorta was a witness, but then again, so was Linda and half the damn ER, so I don't know if they'd call any of them up. But, if he manages to duck them, then…"

"It's void until delivered," Frank said.

Allie nodded, taking a drink.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked.

"Honestly?" she started. "A lot better than yesterday. When he showed up at the ER… I froze. It's just… everything came back. All the years… the pain… the feeling he gave me, that I wasn't worthy… everything. And the look he had when he first saw me… he was way too excited, like someone who'd found a lost puppy." She paused, taking a drink.

Frank noticed that Jamie was now standing in the doorway silently.

"It scared me," she continued. "I'm still scared. But, I have more control now than I did before. And, I know your son is standing behind me, wondering why I'm talking to you so easily when I give him a hard time."

Jamie smiled as he made his way over to the couch to sit beside her. "I don't have to wonder," he said. "You had a glass of wine with dinner, an Irish coffee with dessert, and now you're drinking Scotch."

Frank smiled slightly as Jamie moved closer to Allie, putting his arm around her.

"Fair enough," Allie said.

"Besides," Jamie continued. "When you meet people, you either shut up completely or don't shut up at all. Though, you usually limit your rambling to something you like a lot or something that's controversial."

Allie chuckled slightly. "Well, I guess that explains the conversation with your grandfather."

"Yeah, I guess. But, if Erin asks me about our future one more time…"

"Oh, come on," Erin said as she came in. Looking at Allie, she continued, "all I asked was if you were coming again next week."

"If it's okay with Rosy over here," Allie replied, nudging Jamie gently.

"Of course," Jamie replied. "It's nice to have back up."

"Back up? Like you really need back up. You're the one who was giving me tips on how to handle Danny all week."

"I thought those came from Linda."

"Her too." Allie's pager went off, and she glanced down at it. "Excuse me," she said, standing and walking out of the room.

Erin looked at Jamie. "She's not _actually_ going in right now, is she?" she asked.

"Probably not," Jamie replied.

"Good, because that could be bad for her patients."

Jamie shrugged. "More than likely, it's a consult from a resident or something. And, either way, she isn't drunk. You'd know if she was."

Erin smiled slightly. "She the dancing-on-the-tables type?"

"More like the car-surfing-in-a-parking-lot type."

"Was it moving?"

"Better question, do you _really_ think that was me?" Allie asked as she came back in.

"Okay, so maybe it was one or more of us," Jamie conceded.

"I'll cop to the fact that it was my idea. But I didn't actually _do_ it."

Jamie shrugged again. "I didn't know any better."

"Suddenly I understand that broken arm you had in college," Erin said.

"Like I told you, car accident," Jamie replied slyly.

Erin shook her head.

"So, let me get this straight," Linda said as she came into the room. "You _actually_ got him to do something stupid and crazy for fun?"

"Yeah," Allie replied. "I used to do it all the time."

Linda nodded, smiling. "Danny's right, Jamie. You need to marry her."

Jamie and Allie shared a look.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you all so much for sticking with me, despite the long gaps between updates. See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title is from "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, which I don't own. I hope you all enjoy this one, and happy holidays!

* * *

Chapter 9: I Just Can't Look, It's Killing Me

"Oh, my God."

Allie inhaled deeply, trying to keep her emotions in check as Natalie attempted to not puke over their latest victim in the ER. A young man, in his 20s, with his internal organs on display for the world to see. Where they weren't supposed to be.

"Focus," Allie said, both to herself and to Natalie.

"Right," Natalie replied. "Pressure's dropping."

"Hang 4 units of O neg, type and cross, throw up a liter of normal saline and run it wide open. We need a CBC, Chem 20, ABGs. Let's get him on tele."

"How is he still alive?" Jayna, one of the newest nurses in the ER, asked as she started work on Allie's orders.

"Because there is a God," Allie replied. "Let's irrigate, clamp off and pack over anything that bleeds, and clean this out as much as we can as we stabilize for OR." She looked over at one of the paramedics. "What in the hell happened?"

"Bar fight," he answered. "A guy smashed a bottle open and gashed him with it."

Allie shook her head. "Alright. His organs look like they survived this without too much damage." She started clamping off some of the bleeding areas along with Dr. Kurtz, as both of them worked hard to save this young man's life.

"Pressure's still dropping," Jayna said.

"We're losing the pulse!" Cassandra, another nurse, called out.

"Crash cart!" Dr. Kurtz shouted.

"Code blue!" Allie yelled down the hallway. "He's asystolic. Push 1 milligram of Epi."

"Pushing 1 milligram of Epi," Linda repeated. "Epi in and flushing."

"Bagging," Cassandra said as Jayna started doing compressions.

"Page Respiratory to get us a better airway," Allie said.

"Paging Respiratory," Natalie replied, grabbing the phone.

* * *

After fifteen minutes and several attempts, the doctors called time of death with the family's blessing. Afterward, Allie made her way into the break room, grabbing a cup of coffee. She looked over at Natalie, who was somewhat pale. "You okay?" she asked her young colleague.

Natalie shook her head. "I've seen internal organs before," she replied. "But never while they were still actually functioning in someone's abdomen."

Allie shrugged slightly. "Technically, they weren't _really_ still in his abdomen. And they were barely still functioning when he got to us."

"I know." Natalie sighed. "I just... I never really lost a patient before."

"Welcome to being a doctor." Allie patted Natalie on the shoulder gently as she moved to walk out of the room.

"How do you deal with it?"

Allie stopped, turning around.

"You know, all the death," Natalie added.

Allie shrugged again. "You focus on the good," she said softly. "I mean, in this case, with that much damage, the fact that he even made it to the hospital alive is impressive. He really didn't stand that much of a chance, sadly. We did everything we could. But we can't save them all." Allie sighed. "That's the hardest lesson you'll learn being a doctor. The two hardest things to tell people is that they're dying, or that their loved one's dead. And that doesn't get any easier with time. You just get more used to saying the words."

Natalie nodded solemnly.

Allie patted her gently on the shoulder again. "Just remember, today's almost over," she said. "You need to put him out of your mind. You did the best you could. We all did. And I know it sounds callous to say this, but you need to let it go for now. Thinking about what happened with him isn't going to help any other patient you see today. So, focus on your job. When you punch out at the end of your shift, _then_ you can worry about doubts and second guesses. But you'll do everyone else you see today a disservice if you can't put this out of your mind and focus on them and their problems."

Natalie nodded again.

"It's a bad moment making for a bad day," Allie summed up. "But don't make it worse."

"Okay," Natalie said softly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. And, if you need anything, I'm around."

"Thanks, Dr. Daniels."

"Just Allie, Nattie," she said with a wink.

* * *

"So, he didn't make it," Jamie surmised as he picked at his dinner.

"He had his intestines on the wrong side of his skin and muscle," Allie replied. "Of course he didn't make it."

Jamie pushed his plate away.

Allie raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?" she asked. "You are seriously squeamish about this?"

"Not all of us are doctors," he replied.

"This kind of talk never used to bother you. Besides, you're a cop. You mean to tell me you've never been to an accident scene where body parts are all over the place?"

"I have. I just usually don't discuss it over dinner. Or think about it at dinner."

"Sorry." She pushed a meatball around on her plate.

"I didn't mean to make you stop eating," he said softly.

"You didn't," she told him. "I… just… it's weird to counsel a colleague on how to deal with death, you know? These young interns… they don't know how to tell a patient they're dying, or how to tell a family member their loved one has passed. And in a case like that… a young kid… you can't help but think, what if that were me? Or my friend? Or someone I knew?"

"But he wasn't," Jamie said, taking her hand in his.

"Yeah, I know." She sighed softly, looking up from her plate to meet his gaze. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."

"You're not going to." He squeezed her hand for emphasis.

"You don't know that. Not for sure."

"The same way that I don't know that I'm never going to lose you either," he told her. "But life is about uncertainty, isn't it?"

"So they say."

He stood up, walking around the table toward her. "Come with me," he said softly.

She nodded as she stood, following him into the living room. He hit play on the stereo, pulling her close to him as "Better Together" by Jack Johnson started playing.

"There's no combination of words I can put on the back of a postcard," Jamie sang along with the song as they started dancing. "No song that I could sing, but I can try it out for your heart. Our dreams, they are made out of real things, like a shoebox of photographs with sepia-toned lovin'. Love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart, like why are we here, where do we go, and how come it's so hard? It's not always easy, and sometimes life can be deceiving, but I'll tell you one thing. It's always better when we're together."

Allie smiled to herself, hugging Jamie closer as she laid her head against his chest, closed her eyes, and simply followed his lead.

"I believe in memories," he continued to finish the song. "They look so, so pretty when I sleep. And when I wake up, you look so pretty sleeping next to me. But there is not enough time, and there is no, no song I can sing. And there is no combination of words I could say, but I will still tell you one thing. We're better together."

As the song finished, she leaned in close, kissing him softly. "Out of curiosity, how long have you had that planned?" she asked playfully.

He shrugged. "Since I met you at the mixer," he replied.

She backed up slightly, still with her arms around him. "You planned to serenade me the first night we met?"

"Not exactly."

She furrowed her brow. "You better explain yourself, Dallas, or you'll end up like the _actual_ character J.R."

He smiled slightly. "You remember what you said the first night we met? While Sydney and Aaron were off somewhere else?"

She tilted her head, thinking as he continued to lead her in a dance, now to "It's Not Just Me" by Rascal Flatts. "We talked about so much that night, I'm drawing a blank on any specifics," she said.

"You had talked about not liking dances because they were designed to make people break up," he said. "That the only dance that could ever matter would be the first dance at a wedding, because that's a moment of perfection, where two people who truly love each other hold each other close. They pick the song that means the most to them, and they use that to define their relationship and marriage."

She tensed up slightly, wondering what he was about to say. "So, what exactly are you saying here and now?"

He smiled with a hint of evil in his eye. He pulled her in close, whispering in her ear, "I'm just proving you wrong."

Allie made a face of annoyance. "You ass."

Jamie laughed, kissing her tenderly.

She shook her head, still annoyed as he continued to gloat internally.

"You're just upset I'm right," he said.

She shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "I guess I just thought you'd picked that song because it meant something."

"It _does_ mean something. This whole playlist means something. It means I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too."

He kissed her again as the song changed to "I'm Yours" by The Script. He pulled her up against him as she rested her head against his chest. "You touch these tired eyes of mine," he sang along again instead of speaking. "And map my face out line by line. And somehow, growing old feels fine. I listen close, for I'm not smart. You wrap your thoughts in works of art, and they're hanging on the walls of my heart."

She joined in with him as he sang, "I may not have the softest touch. I may not say the words as such. And though I may not look like much, I'm yours. And though my edges may be rough, I never feel I'm quite enough. It may not seem like very much, but I'm yours."

She pulled her head off of his chest, watching him as he started singing alone again. "You healed these scars over time, embraced my soul, you loved my mind. You're the only angel in my life. The day news came, my best friend died, my knees went weak and you saw me cry. Say I'm still the soldier in your eyes.

"I may not have the softest touch. I may not say the words as such. And though I may not look like much, I'm yours. And though my edges may be rough, I never feel I'm quite enough. It may not seem like very much, but I'm yours."

Neither one spoke as the guitar solo played out over the speakers, dancing in time to the rhythm of the song. As the solo wrapped up, Allie started singing, alone this time. "I may not have the softest touch. I may not say the words as such. I know I don't fit in that much, but I'm yours."

"You fit in right here," Jamie whispered to her as the song ended.

Allie closed her eyes as tears threatened to fall down her face.

* * *

A hundred yards wasn't _that_ much of a distance.

It damn sure was close enough to see what was going on: his whore of a wife was about to bang that lame ass excuse of a man. _Seriously,_ Aaron thought to himself. _What real man dances around in his living room like a pansy with a woman?_

Aaron shook his head, lowering his binoculars. "You wanna fuck him?" he muttered to himself. "You go right ahead. But it'll be the last damn thing you do."

Aaron heard a bottle roll down the alley not far from him, and he looked down at the stray cat who had moved it. "Shoo," he told the cat.

The cat ignored him, rubbing up against his leg.

Aaron nudged the cat away with his foot, and watched as it scampered away down the alley. He picked his binoculars back up, looking up again at Jamie's apartment windows. They were in the bedroom now, and Aaron didn't have the heart to keep watching.

He knew it was over now. She was damaged goods now. Another man had forced his way in.

Aaron shook his head. "Hope you enjoy your fun now," he said. "You'll both be dead soon. If I can't have you, then no one will."

* * *

A/N: I also don't own the songs that Jamie sings.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I apologize for the long delay. Please note that I do, in fact, have an endgame in mind for this story, and a way to get there, but I haven't had much time to write lately. But, I figured I would take advantage of a snowy day, and hopefully provide some entertainment to all others who find themselves afflicted. See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title of this chapter is from "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. I hope you all enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 10: There's Nowhere We Can Hide

The vase was innocently perched on the counter, displayed for the entirely of the ER to see. The flowers contained within were downright gorgeous: light blue hydrangeas, summer blue delphiniums, and blue orchids were surrounded by at least a dozen white roses. No card had come with the flowers, but then, none was really needed.

Allie knew how they got there.

Rather than make a spectacle about them, though, she pretended that the flowers didn't exist. That they were nothing, meant nothing, and could never lead to anything. Not even in a million years.

And yet, there they were. The constant reminder.

Her attempts to avoid them did not go unnoticed by Linda, who was probably a better detective than her own husband. Linda simply watched Allie as she went about her day, trying (and failing) to be unnerved by the beautiful display on the counter.

Finally, Linda couldn't take it anymore. She _had_ to know what was going on. Allie said nothing, as Linda pulled the younger woman into an empty room.

"You can tell me," Linda assured, as Allie looked at her phone. "What's going on with you and the flowers?"

Allie continued to say nothing, sliding her finger across the screen of her phone until she found exactly what she was looking for. At that point, she simply handed her phone over to Linda.

"…Oh," was all Linda said, as realization sank in.

* * *

Someone was watching them.

Eddie could feel it as she walked down the street. Not just the normal stares of citizens and tourists watching two cops on patrol.

No. This was more.

And if Jamie had noticed, he wasn't saying anything. Eddie kept looking over at him for any indication that she wasn't alone in her feelings.

Nothing.

So Eddie watched the world around her for anything that seemed out of place. Anyone that seemed a little too interested in them. She couldn't be certain if the feeling was for someone watching _her_, or someone watching _him_. But no one stood out among the crowd on the corner anyway.

So she kept watch. And after a few blocks, that feeling went away. Though that should have brought her some comfort, she still had a bad feeling deep within the pit of her stomach.

This was just the beginning.

* * *

"They've gotta be from him," Allie said somberly, the first words she had uttered all day that weren't directed at a patient. "No one else from here would know, and they sure as hell wouldn't send them if they did."

"Why would he send you flowers, though?" Linda asked as she gave Allie her phone back.

"After every time that he…" Allie tilted her head slightly. "He would always…" She gestured toward the door and the flowers on the counter behind it. "I don't know. They always felt more like a threat than an apology."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Allie breathed. "With the way his family is… and them basically saying that death was the only acceptable way out of the marriage… being given flowers from our wedding felt like he was continuously trying to remind me that I had signed a lifetime contract, and that I had better honor it. Though, when he gave them to me each time, he always said that he was going to be better, be the man that I married that day… he never was."

"How many times did he hit you?"

Allie shook her head.

"More times than you told Jamie about," Linda surmised.

Allie sighed softly.

"You know, you _can_ be honest with him. He isn't going to leave you, no matter what."

"I don't want him to know how weak I am," Allie whispered. "How long I waited before I left, how much I… how many times…" Allie's voice trailed off as tears threatened to fall. "Jamie already knows too much. And I know that he definitely deserves better than me."

"But I know that he loves you," Linda told her. "And that your past doesn't matter to him, not in the way you think it does. He loves you for who you are, the beautiful person inside you. Everyone has baggage, Allie."

"Not like mine."

Linda shrugged. "It's not like Jamie's without his faults too."

"Yeah, but how much of his feelings are a need to fix me? And when everything's fixed, then what? He leaves?"

"I think you and I both know that's not gonna happen. Do you have any idea how many girls he's brought home to family dinner since he and Sydney broke up?"

Allie shook her head.

"None," Linda told her. "And I'm pretty sure he hasn't been livin' like a monk since then."

"I know he hasn't," Allie said quietly.

"So, what makes you think he's gonna leave you?"

Allie just stared at the door.

* * *

The feeling returned as they made their way back to the squad car.

Eddie hung back a moment, her eyes scanning the area for anything or anyone that was out of place, un-routine, unnatural. Anyone that seemed a little too focused on them and/or their car.

She found nothing.

Except that this time, Jamie noticed her hesitation. He stopped, looking back at her. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied.

He walked back to stand next to her, looking around in the same manner she was.

"Someone's been watching us," she added.

He nodded, scanning the faces on the street the same way she was.

"I can't find him, but I _know_ he's here."

"Come on," Jamie said softly. "Let's get out of here."

The two of them made their way to the cruiser, both still looking through the regular New York scene. They were almost there when Eddie's instincts kicked in again.

"Jamie, wait-"

* * *

The explosion rattled the windows of Saint Victor's Hospital, to the extent that it got Linda and Allie's attention. "What the hell was that?" Allie asked.

"I don't know," Linda replied. "Did you hear anything?"

"No."

"Allie, Linda," Natalie said as she rushed in a few moments later. "We're already getting word, all hands on deck."

"What happened?" Linda asked.

"Car explosion three blocks over."

"Oh, God," Allie breathed. "How many casualties are we expecting?"

"Unknown right now," Natalie replied. "But, I have to tell you guys, the rumor is that it was a cop car that exploded."

Allie and Linda looked at one another, finding the same look on each other's faces. Fear of it being someone they loved. Hope that it wasn't, and that whoever was involved would be okay. Prayers that it was only a rumor, and that it wasn't true.

But either way, they had work to do.

It wasn't more than five minutes later when the first victim rolled in, and their worst fears were confirmed.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I couldn't keep you all hanging too long on that cliffhanger. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. Song in this one is "Heaven" by 3 Doors Down. I hope you all enjoy the resolution, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 11: All I Had To Do To Save My Own Life Was to Look Into Your Eyes

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Jamie nodded for what felt like the hundredth time. "Yes," he said. "I swear."

Erin sat on the bed next to her younger brother, watching him for any tells. Finding none, she finally nodded in concession.

Danny was the next to hurry in, nearly knocking over one of the ER techs. "Kid, you okay?" he asked as he arrived.

"I'm fine," Jamie replied.

Danny looked at him skeptically.

"Does no one take me at my word in this family?"

"You _do_ have a tendency to lie to us," Erin reminded him.

Jamie rolled his eyes as Frank made his way in. "I'm okay," he told his father.

Frank simply nodded.

Allie managed to push her way through the crowd that had now formed in the room, looking at Jamie. "The gang's all here, hey Scoob?" she said in her best Shaggy voice.

Jamie laughed softly. "How's Eddie?" he asked her instead of responding.

"Minor cuts, some bruising. Nothing's broken, though. She'll be released soon."

"Good."

"She said she tackled your ass. Getting soft in your old age?"

"More like she saw it first." Jamie looked over at Danny. "She said we were being watched, in a way that was abnormal for us just walking down the street. And I felt it, too, but I think she recognized that something was off with the car when we got back to it."

"I'll say she did," Erin commented.

"What happened?" Danny asked.

"She threw something at it and it blew up," Jamie answered.

"Hell of a throw."

Jamie shifted slightly as he nodded.

"What'd she throw, her nightstick?" Allie asked.

"She might've," Jamie replied.

"Well, hell, it's better replacing a nightstick than one of you," Danny said.

Jamie nodded before turning to Frank. "Sorry about the car… again…."

"Just glad you two are alright," Frank replied.

"You make a habit of destroying cars?" Allie asked.

"Not really," Jamie replied.

"At least two police cruisers," Erin said.

"Not to mention Joe's car," Danny added.

"That settles it," Allie said. "No more nice things for you."

Jamie rolled his eyes again.

"Alright, Kid, who has it out for you?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," Jamie replied. "Could be any of a dozen or so people."

"Well, I'm gonna step out for a minute," Allie said. "Natalie's gonna come back to finish up with you."

"Alright."

Allie squeezed out as Eddie made her way into the crowd of Reagans. Linda looked up at Allie from the chart on the desk in front of her. "You okay?" she asked.

Allie sighed softly.

Linda scoffed lightly. "Guess not," she said.

Danny walked out of Jamie's room and over to Allie and Linda. "Hey babe," he said, hugging his wife and kissing her.

"Jamie's fine," she said.

"I know."

"I'll be right back." Linda made her way toward another room of the ER.

"Danny, I'm so sorry," Allie said.

"For what?" he replied, giving her a confused look.

"This is all my fault. My ex… he's in town somewhere, and I just… I _know_ that this… this was all him."

"What, trying to blow up Jamie and Eddie?"

"Yes." At his worsened confused look, she pointed at the vase on the distant counter. "Those are from him. A reminder, I guess. I don't know. But there's no coincidence that these flowers are delivered here today, the same day that the car…." Allie's voice trailed off.

Danny nodded slowly. "What's his name, your ex?"

"Aaron. Aaron Greenfield."

"Got it," Danny said as he scribbled it down. "Just out of curiosity, did you change your name back?"

Allie shook her head. "Didn't take his name."

"Really?"

"I was just starting out as a doctor. It was too much to change it in the first place. He hated it, but he tolerated it as long as I announced myself as Allie Daniels-Greenfield." She shrugged. "I think there was always a part of me that knew that Aaron and I weren't meant to be together forever."

Danny didn't respond to that comment, choosing instead to ask, "does he go by any other names?"

Allie thought for a few moments before saying, "he came by the ER a few weeks ago. Used the name… Mark. Mark Sanders. Had a license and an insurance card."

"Alright, I'll look into it. In the meantime, be careful. You know this guy. If he's crazy enough to go after two cops…"

"Danny, I know him better than he knows himself," Allie interrupted. "I know enough to double check everything and lock my doors. Security's been walking me to my car every day since he showed up in the ER the first time. I never take the same route twice, don't go to the same places, never stick to a routine…"

"I know I'm gonna regret asking this, but why are you so well versed in ducking stalkers?"

"Nothing nefarious, I assure you. I just got some advice from a therapist. Sort of a control thing."

Danny nodded, putting his hand on Allie's arm. "Stay safe, alright?"

"I'll try," she told him honestly.

Danny gave Allie's arm a gentle squeeze before he walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them. :) This chapter's a little bit lighter. The title comes from "Better That We Break" by Maroon 5. See the first chapter for the disclaimer. I hope you enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 12: The City Looks So Nice From Here

"Really? The blindfold?"

Jamie sighed quietly, shaking his head. "You know, many girls could appreciate it for the sheer surprise," he told her as he led her off the elevator.

Allie made a face. "I'm sorry, when did we move into _50 Shades of Grey_?"

He tilted his head slightly, even though she couldn't see. "Would that make me Christian Grey? Because, I'd be somewhat okay with that…"

"Christian Grey is a rapist and an abuser."

He stopped both of them. "You've read the book?"

She shrugged. "Only part of the first one. Kinda like what I've read of _Harry Potter_ and _Lord of the Rings_. Now, can we move on so that I can take this damn blindfold off?"

Jamie chuckled softly. "Guess we should cross blindfolds off the list," he said.

"Only if I'm the one that has to wear them," Allie replied.

Jamie arched his eyebrows, mostly to himself as she couldn't see it. He cleared his throat before saying, "just a little bit further."

"That sounds vaguely dirty."

He laughed quietly. "Well then, now that we got that out of the way, let's have a lovely evening."

"Okay, I'll try."

Jamie led her outside, closing the door behind them. He stood behind her as he took off the blindfold, revealing a tucked away patio with a table, candles, garden lights, and flowers. Allie smiled as she looked out across the city, taking in the sights. He continued to smile to himself at her reaction, just waiting…

"Remind me not to let you watch any more rom-coms," she said softly.

_There it is_, he thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. "I try to do something nice…" he remarked instead.

"It's beautiful," Allie replied softly, kissing him.

"So are you," he replied, kissing her back. He walked with her over to the table, pulling out her chair for her. Once she was seated, he brought over a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He poured the champagne before disappearing again. He returned with two steaming plates of food, placing one in front of her before sitting down with his.

"Did you make this?" Allie asked, looking at the food.

"Would it surprise you if I had?" Jamie replied.

"A little. Your family's more meat and potatoes than Fettuccini Alfredo."

"Well, I _did_ move away from them for quite a few years. I've picked up a few things."

She smiled. "You're pretty slick there, Dallas."

He smirked, picking up his glass. "Toast?"

"If you say, 'to you,' I'm gonna throw the champagne in your face."

"Actually, I was going to say, 'here's to a good night.'"

"I'll drink to that." She clinked glasses with him before taking a sip. She put the glass down, taking a small bite before looking at him. "Not bad," she told him after she swallowed it. "Although, I'm not positive you _actually_ made this yourself."

"What makes you say that?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Because this tastes exactly like that little Italian place we used to go to all the time outside Boston."

Jamie paused. "So, _maybe_ I had a _little_ help. I, uh, I called up, and I talked to Antonella. And when I told her what I was trying to do here, she was more than happy to help me out."

"By coming out here and cooking it for you? Or by sending it made so that all you would have to do would be to heat it up once it got here?"

"By telling me the secret to her recipe."

Allie furrowed her brow. "Why would she do that?"

Jamie shrugged. "Mainly because she sold the restaurant three years ago before the economy turned, and she retired, but kept the recipes for herself."

"Aww, I'm kinda sad she sold the restaurant."

"Vacant to this day."

Allie frowned slightly. "So, she gave you the recipe," she said.

"Yep," Jamie replied.

"So you can impress me with your cooking skills."

"Yep. Is it working?"

Allie smiled, taking a bite from her food.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jamie said softly.

"Thank you for this," Allie told him genuinely. "This is amazing."

"Thank you." Jamie took her hand gently. "I'm just glad you're enjoying it."

Allie inhaled, smiling. "I am. You're amazing."

"Not as much as you."

She shook her head.

"I know, too sappy," Jamie said, taking a bite of his food.

"Some moments just call for that more than others," Allie replied. "Moments where the only words are what pour out of your heart rather than what your brain can come up with."

Jamie nodded, noticing that Allie was barely eating. "Everything okay?"

She smiled. "Much better now that I'm here."

"But, something's bothering you."

She shifted slightly in her seat. "Uh… Aaron called me today."

Jamie put his fork down, looking at her from across the table. "What? When? Where?"

"This morning, at the hospital. He's… he's called a couple of times lately." Allie twirled the pasta onto her fork, mostly just to twirl it with no real intention of eating it. "Mostly just annoying. I don't want to talk about it right now. I mean, you went to all this trouble to make tonight special. Let's not let him ruin it here, okay?"

"Deal," he said, squeezing her hand slightly, even though he had every intention of asking about it again later.

She smiled, squeezing his hand back and knowing that he would never completely let it go until they had discussed every detail.

* * *

After dinner, they stood along the edge of the rooftop, looking out across the city. "As much as I love the countryside, I have to admit, the view here is nice," Allie said, putting her head against Jamie's chest.

Jamie put his arm around her, pulling her closer. "I couldn't agree more," he replied. "Boston was nice, but it's got nothing on this view."

She smiled. "You know, I've always loved watching you talk about your hometown and your family. The way your face lights up when you talk about them. It's really cute."

"Thanks… I think…"

She shook her head slightly. "It's just that, you always talk so fondly of everything and everyone here. I guess, I've just… never felt that for anywhere. And, really, I think the only person I've ever really cared that much about is… is you."

He rested his chin against the top of her head. "Then, I think we need to change that."

She shrugged. "I think I'd rather still care about you."

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

She smirked.

"Maybe we should go back to your hometown sometime," Jamie said.

Allie sighed deeply. "All that's there is loneliness and heartache," she replied.

"So, then maybe it'd be a good idea to make some new memories, right?"

She shrugged again. "Maybe."

"It's settled, then. We're gonna go back to where you came from and make some happy times."

She nodded slowly. "You realize you're crazy, right?" she said after a minute.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out the moment I fell in love with you." He wrapped his arms around her tighter, and she snuggled into his chest, enjoying the night view.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I truly appreciate them. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title of this chapter comes from "Light My Fire" by The Doors. I hope you all enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 13: Try To Set The Night On Fire

"_Why_ are we doing midnights?" Eddie griped for what seemed like the thousandth time, but had probably only been the fourth, as she and Jamie drove around for their patrol.

"So I can maximize my time this weekend," Jamie replied. "We're leaving right after tour to go to Rhode Island, and we're driving back Sunday morning."

"Two whole days. Nice. Does Allie know she's driving your ass up the coast?"

Jamie shook his head. "I'm driving."

"After a midnight tour? Where you're out patrolling while she's at home sleeping?"

"Trust me, I'd rather drive."

Eddie shook her head. "Her driving can't be _that_ bad."

"She's the only person I know who can make it from her apartment to the hospital in under 10 minutes during rush hour traffic."

Eddie furrowed her brow. "Doesn't she live, like, 10 minutes away _without_ traffic?"

"Yes."

"What does she drive?"

"Camaro."

"So how does she…?"

Jamie just gave Eddie a look.

"Yeah, you're right, I think you're better off driving, Reagan," Eddie commented.

"12-David on the air?" the radio crackled.

"12-David," Jamie replied.

"12-David, be advised, you have a request for fire department assist at West 96th and Amsterdam."

"12-David, show us responding."

"Oh, great," Eddie said. "Nothing I love more than directing traffic. What do you think it is? Another car accident? Or an EDP?"

"Not sure."

Eddie furrowed her brow. "Doesn't Allie live on West 96th?"

"Yeah, right there on the corner of Amsterdam. Why?"

"You sure she's home sleeping?"

Jamie shrugged. "She's not working tonight, and she isn't staying with me, so I'm assuming she's at home. I mean, I think she was going out with Erin tonight…"

"Please tell me that's not her place," Eddie said as they approached a scene surrounded by multiple fire trucks and ambulances, many of which had just arrived on scene themselves.

Jamie's face paled as he watched the flames shoot throughout the building.

"Well, maybe she's not home yet," Eddie said as they got out of the car.

"Let's hope not," Jamie said softly as they walked out to the scene.

"We need you guys for crowd control," the battalion chief told them. "We've got a couple other officers directing traffic."

"You got it," Eddie said, grabbing Jamie's arm and dragging him over to the crowd that had gathered.

"Jamie!" Erin called out, getting his attention.

"Erin," he replied, coming over to her and hugging her.

"We had just gotten back. She was going to show me where the cat food was, and we saw that the cat didn't come out, and so she went looking for it, and then… the whole thing… it went up, and I haven't been able to find her."

"Is she still…"

"I-I don't know."

"If she is, they'll find her," Eddie told Jamie as she helped keep the crowds back.

Jamie, meanwhile, desperately searched among the faces, looking for any trace of her. After what felt like forever he _finally_ found her, clutching the kitten she has rescued two weeks earlier as she watched the building in horror.

"Allie," he called out, drawing her attention.

She turned, sighing heavily as she made her way over toward him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and the kitten, holding her against him. "It was a trap," she said softly. "He locked her in my room, and when I went in, the whole thing exploded. I just managed to grab her and duck out the fire escape, but…" She shook her head, sniffling. "It's all gone, Jamie."

"It's okay," he said softly. "You're okay." He held her close, rubbing her back as she buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"I can't…"

"Shh, it's okay," he soothed, looking through the crowd to make eye contact with Erin. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Allie shuddered, and Jamie instinctively shrugged his coat off, wrapping it around her shoulders. Allie closed her eyes, no longer wanting to see the place she had grown to call home in New York reduced to smoldering ash.

"Come on," he said softly, leading her to where Erin was standing.

"Oh, thank God," Erin said as she saw the two of them. She hugged Allie and Jamie together.

"If it wasn't for the cat," Allie whispered, petting the kitten gently.

"It's okay," Jamie said. "It's all gonna be okay."

"He did _this_, Jamie," Allie told him, her voice trembling. "I _know_ he did."

"We'll get him," Eddie said as she walked up. "In the meantime, I think you two should get an early jump on your trip."

"Yeah," Erin agreed. "I'll take your little friend here. You two get out of town and away from this."

"We'll get him," Eddie repeated.

"I… uh… I don't have any clothes," Allie said softly.

"Yeah, well, you probably don't need them," Erin teased.

Jamie blushed as Allie smiled lightly.

"But, if you do, wouldn't now be a good time to get a new wardrobe?" she added, passing Allie her purse. "I grabbed this for you on the way out."

"Thanks," Allie replied.

"I've already cleared it with the sergeant," Eddie said. "It's a done deal. You two head off, okay?"

Jamie looked at Allie.

"Yeah, okay," she said softly.

"We'll take care of everything," Eddie said.

"You two go have fun," Erin added.

"Come on," Jamie said softly. "We'll drop back by the precinct. You can give your statement while I get changed out."

"Okay," Allie said softly, passing the kitten off to Erin. "Take good care of her, okay?"

"I will," Erin said, petting the kitten. "Hi, Snowball."

"She's not even white," Eddie replied.

"I know."

"Her name is Banana," Allie said.

"Banana?" Erin asked.

"I found her in a box with a bunch of bananas. Seemed like as good a name as any."

"Fair enough. Now, you two, get going, okay?"

Allie nodded, walking away with Jamie's arms wrapped around her. Eddie looked over at Erin. "I'm gonna kill this son of a bitch when we find him," she said.

"Me first," Erin replied, petting the kitten.

* * *

He glowered in the light coming from the fire, watching as his wife walked off with another man. _That bitch should've burned,_ he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he turned away, rationalizing his need to regroup before making another run at it.

One way or another, they were both going to die. And soon.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I truly appreciate them. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title of this chapter is from "Down Poison" by 3 Doors Down. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 14: "Welcome to My World," She Said, Separated World

The sunlight peeked across the morning sky as they passed the border into Rhode Island, with Allie fidgeting nervously in the passenger seat. The night had shaken them both up, knowing that she had barely escaped her apartment with her life. And now… now she was going back to the one place she'd tried so hard to avoid since she'd left.

Her hometown.

Cranston, Rhode Island.

She tried to shake the thought from her head, but found herself unable to. Jamie sensed this, and reached across the shifter to cover her hand with his. "It's gonna be okay," he told her softly.

"Well, while we're down this way, can we at least stop for breakfast?" she asked, ignoring him. "There's this little place down by the beach that's incredible."

"Okay."

The ride was silent, except for Allie's occasional directions to the diner. And after getting their breakfasts, the two sat down on the sidewalk, their feet dangling over the ledge toward the sand below. The sun was slowly rising over the water as they sipped their coffee.

"What's on your mind?" he asked softly.

"I think this trip was a bad idea," she replied, biting into her bagel.

"…because…?"

"Because. You don't understand what it was like, Jamie. And now, we're here, dredging up all these memories that I thought I'd buried, shortly after I lost my home to a fire set by my crazy ex-husband."

Jamie shrugged. "I don't know. I think some things aren't meant to stay buried."

"Like Joe's death?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Murder," he corrected.

"Right. Murdered by the Blue Templar. A story you still haven't told me."

Jamie shifted as they sat along the shore, their breakfast eaten and coffee not yet finished. "I think we should take a walk," he said, pulling his feet up.

"Okay, Master of the Bad Segue," Allie replied, standing. The two walked down the steps to the sand, walking along the ocean's edge. "You want my story, I think I deserve one of yours," she said, taking a drink from her coffee.

Jamie sighed softly. "Back when my grandpa was on the force, the police department had several bad cops. So a group of good cops, they got together and formed the Blue Templar, as a way to police the police."

"Instead of Internal Affairs?"

"More like, in addition to IA. And for a while, they did a good job at cleaning things up. Then, it got to the point where people were just telling stories. Eventually, by the time Danny joined up, they were a group of guys who were drinking, partying, and who knows what else. Which was one step above where they ended up: a group of thieves who ripped off drug dealers. Joe was recruited by the FBI to infiltrate them, but the Templar made him."

"So, they killed him," Allie surmised sadly.

"Yeah," Jamie said, taking a drink from his coffee.

Allie reached over, putting her hand on his arm.

He gave her a small smile in return. "Anyway, we took them down a few years back, without the FBI," he continued. "And that was the end of them."

"Must've been a good feeling, taking out the bastards that killed your brother," she said.

"Your parents are still around?" Jamie asked, changing the subject.

She shrugged. "Who knows? I guess we'll find out a little later, huh?"

"Yeah."

She took another drink as the two of them continued to walk the beach.

* * *

"The Providence Airport."

Allie smirked slightly as she put her purse down on the bed. "Yeah, what about it?" she said.

"Why is it called the Providence airport?" Jamie asked, putting his duffel bag down in the chair in the room. "It's not even _in_ Providence."

She tilted her head slightly. "Technically, it's called T.F. Green Airport."

"But, its airport code is PVD."

"Right."

"But, it's not in Providence."

Allie shrugged. "It's close enough."

"It's two cities over," he said.

"It's Rhode Island," she said. "Two cities over is less than ten minutes away."

"This state doesn't make any sense."

"Oh, and New York does?"

"You have a state with 8 cities, 20 something towns, and none of them make sense. Like, how do you have an East Greenwich and a West Greenwich, but no Greenwich? North Kingstown and South Kingstown, but no Kingstown?"

"There is, however, a Kingston," she pointed out.

"And then, there's Providence," he continued, moving toward the bathroom. "There's Providence, North Providence, and East Providence, but no South Providence or West Providence."

"Well, there _kinda_ is a South Providence, but not one you'd find on a map. Or that you'd probably not want to find at all, for that matter."

"Who the hell named these towns?"

She shrugged again. "Probably the same person who named the Big Blue Bug."

Jamie stopped, poking his head out of the bathroom. "I'm sorry, the what?"

"I'll show you on the way to the mall," she said.

"We're going to the mall?" he asked.

"Unless you want me wearing your clothes," she gently reminded him.

"Frankly, I'd prefer…"

She put her finger over his lips before he finished that thought. "Behave."

He nodded, kissing her finger gently. When she pulled her hand away, he said, "shall we go?"

"Yeah," she breathed.

He took her hand and led her out of the room.

* * *

After shopping, the pair went back to the hotel room so Allie could change into fresh clothes. She sat down on the bed next to Jamie, who was watching the news. "Good weather today," he mentioned to her. "Should we go for a drive?"

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, let's do this," she told him, standing.

"You can drive," he offered.

She shook her head.

He took his hand in hers as they walked outside to the car. A short time and a few directions later, they found themselves in front of a house. From the outside, it looked perfect: two stories, well-manicured lawn and perfectly painted exterior. And though she hadn't been here in what felt like decades, she had an idea what they'd find on the inside.

Ruin.

Jamie squeezed her hand as they stood on the edge of the sidewalk, just looking at the house. Allie took a deep breath. "I'm not sure they still live here," she said softly.

Jamie nodded, saying nothing.

"Hell, I'm not even sure they're alive at all. I don't think anyone talks to them. I think Alex might've been the last one to hear from them, and I'm willing to bet that was more than 10 years ago."

Jamie nodded again, watching the house before them.

The front door creaked open, and an older woman walked outside. "Excuse me, this is private property," she said. "I think you both need to leave."

Allie flinched slightly. "Theresa," she said to the older woman.

Jamie looked between Allie and Theresa, noting the family resemblance.

Theresa narrowed her eyes. "Catalina?" she asked.

"No," Allie replied.

"Then, you must be Amalia. I almost guessed that first."

"I haven't been Amalia in years," Allie said softly.

"Oh, I know. You changed your name when you decided you were too good to associate with us anymore."

Allie inhaled sharply before sighing.

"You, and Alessandro, and Catalina, and Carmine. All of you changed your names the moment you were taken away from us. And now you want to come back here, and act like we're family?" Theresa stepped forward, pulling the bat out from behind her back and shaking it toward Allie. "Get your ass off my property. And don't you ever come back."

Allie nodded, moving back toward the car. Jamie, however, chose to hold his ground.

"You too," Theresa said, swinging the bat toward him.

"Ma'am, I'm a police officer," he told her.

She scoffed. "Not for Cranston, you're not. And I highly doubt you have any jurisdiction in Rhode Island at all. So, I suggest you take your stupid little ass, and that poor excuse for a supposed child of mine, and go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

Jamie shook his head. "You have a good day, ma'am."

She spun around, heading back toward the house. "Go to hell."

Jamie got back in the car, driving away with Allie in the passenger seat.

* * *

"That place was a prison," Allie told him some time later as they sat on a park bench, eating the takeout they'd gotten. "That's why we all changed our names. We all wanted a fresh start from the hell we'd gone through."

"Aaron never knew you changed your name, did he?" Jamie asked.

Allie shook her head. "If he had, he would've pushed harder for me to do it again."

Jamie scoffed lightly. "Your mother is a piece of work."

"That's one way of putting it."

"So, what was Michelle's birth name?"

"Michelina. And I hate that they were able to stay under her skin."

"Theresa said you all were taken away from her."

Allie pushed a piece of food around with her fork. "Alex, the day he turned 18, made a complaint about my parents to DCYF. They investigated, and pulled us out of the home. I ended up with Alex. Katie and Kevin, they went to one group home while Michelle went to another. But, by then, Michelle… she was too far down that dark path. She never could recover."

Jamie nodded solemnly.

"She was the only one that didn't have another one of us to lean on," Allie continued. "She was alone in her foster home. I mean, I was 15 when they split us up, and pretty much five feet from being emancipated, so that's why they left me with Alex. They weren't going to break up the twins, so Kevin and Katie stayed together. But Michelle… she was 12 and had nowhere else to go. I think my father kept reaching out to her, but I never could prove it."

"Were they not supposed to?" Jamie asked.

"There was a no-contact order for a while," Allie replied. "I think that lapsed after five years."

"Is this the first time you'd reached out to them?"

"Yeah. And I regret even going over there."

"I'm sorry. If I had known…"

"It's okay. Besides, I'd rather see Theresa than Luciano."

"Given all the names, I'm assuming Daniels was not your original last name."

"Dattoli."

Jamie nodded. "Amalia Dattoli."

Allie nodded, taking a bite of her food.

"Guess I was dead-on with Leah then, huh?" Jamie said with a smirk.

Allie smirked lightly, rolling her eyes and playfully shoving Jamie.

Jamie put his arm around her shoulders, kissing her gently on the side of the head. "I love you," he told her. "I'm sorry your childhood was hell, and I'm sorry being with Aaron was hell, but I promise you, as long as I'm around, I will never hurt you."

Allie rested her head against his shoulder. "I know," she replied. "I love you too."

He smiled, pulling her closer as they sat on the bench and watched the people in the park.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: As a warning, this story's starting to wind down... few chapters left. ;) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. This chapter's title comes from "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran. I hope you enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 15: People Fall In Love in Mysterious Ways

Linda watched as Jamie talked to Frank by the stairs, leaving Allie alone in the kitchen with Erin and Nicki. "How's it going with Jamie?" she asked, catching everyone's attention.

Allie shrugged one shoulder. "It's… good," she said as she peeled a potato. "It'll be even better when we find Aaron and this nightmare is over."

"I hope I find him first," Erin said, cutting the carrots for the salad.

"Mom!" Nicki replied.

"I'm sorry. He tried to kill us."

"Again," Allie added.

"Again?" Erin asked.

Allie shrugged again. "I'm assuming he blew up the squad car."

"Right."

"We'll find him," Danny said as he walked in through the back door before giving Linda a kiss. "He can't hide from us forever."

"You don't know him like I do," Allie reminded Danny.

"You don't know _me_ that well. When it comes to my family, there's nothing I won't do to hunt down the son-of-a-bitch who's after them." Danny walked away, over to where Jamie and Frank were talking.

"…family?" Allie asked the girls.

"I told you, the last girl Jamie brought to Sunday Dinner was Sydney," Linda reminded her.

"Yeah, Jamie doesn't usually bring around anyone he isn't serious about," Erin added.

"And if Danny's calling you family, you're pretty much in."

Allie blushed slightly.

* * *

"So, how was your trip?" Linda asked after Grace had been said.

"Educational," Jamie said as Allie said, "interesting."

"Sounds like fun," Danny deadpanned.

"I thought you were going to meet the parents," Erin said, looking at Jamie.

"Oh, he met my mother all right," Allie remarked, taking a drink from her wine.

Jamie squeezed her hand lightly.

"You never talk about your family," Linda said.

"It's… complicated," Allie replied.

"How so?" Nicki asked.

"Let's just say, her mother wasn't exactly the most _welcoming_ person in the world," Jamie said gently.

"What about your father?"

"He wasn't there," Allie said.

"Well, we don't really know that," Jamie said. "He coulda been there and just never came outside to see us."

Allie stabbed at her salad sharply. "He could be dead, for all I know."

"How do you not know?" Sean asked, tilting his head.

"My father wasn't really a nice man," Allie replied as gently as she could muster.

"Oh."

"But still, he's your father," Nicki said.

"Who married the woman who chased us away with a baseball bat," Allie said.

"Wait, _what_?"

"She walked out of the house with a bat behind her back," Jamie clarified.

"And when we tried to stick around to talk a little bit, she pulled it out and pointed it at us," Allie added.

"_Swung_ it at us."

Allie shook her head bitterly. "Yeah, I'm quite popular. Everywhere I go, someone wants to hurt me or kill me."

Jamie looked her in the eyes. "No one's going to hurt you, I promise."

"You're safe here," Henry said.

"We've got cops out looking for him," Danny added.

"I appreciate that," Allie said genuinely.

Jamie squeezed her hand again.

"We _will_ find him," Danny said. "And when we do, he will be going away for a long time. He won't hurt you again."

"At least, not after he's found," Allie said. "But, until then…"

"Both of you have a target on your backs," Frank finished for her.

"You two might want to lay low," Danny added.

"I'll be fine," Jamie said.

"I have to work," Allie added. "I could lose my job if I take too many days out."

"Isn't the first time I've been a target."

Allie looked over at him. "Wait. Do you make a habit of becoming a target? Because that may be a deal breaker…"

"Habit? No. Does it seem to happen often? Yes."

She frowned slightly. "I'm sorry to have added to your list."

He shook his head. "Not your fault."

"Except he wouldn't be targeting you if it wasn't for me."

"Well, we'll remember this when you become a target because of me," Jamie said with a wink.

"Can you please try to avoid that?" Allie asked, squeezing Jamie's hand gently.

"I can try, but I make no guarantees."

"Yeah, trust me," Linda said.

A few scattered chuckles from around the table.

* * *

After the boys had moved to play games in another room, the family and Allie sat around the table, drinking Irish coffee. Nicki looked over at Allie and Jamie. "So, when you two met, you were both with other people, right?" she asked.

"I was with Sydney," Jamie said.

"Aaron," Allie replied.

"So, did you two ever think you'd end up together?" Nicki asked.

"Not at that point," Jamie said.

"So, at what point did you think we would?" Allie asked before Nicki could.

"When I saw you in the ER."

Allie nodded.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Honestly?" she started. "A few months after I married Aaron. I mean, it wasn't necessarily _you_, but I knew that I needed to be with someone better. It just kinda took me awhile to get out of there." She looked at the gathered family. "He wasn't always bad, Aaron. I _did_ marry him because I loved him. But, a few months in…"

"His true colors showed," Erin said.

Allie nodded. "Aaron had been with me through a lot," Allie found herself saying. "He was there when my sister…"

"Committed suicide," Jamie finished for her.

"He was one of the only people who was happy for me when I graduated from undergrad."

"At Harvard?" Linda asked.

"Ended at Harvard, started at Brown," Allie replied.

"Brown is a good med school," Nicki said. "Why switch to Harvard?"

"You don't always get that option to stay at your school. Mostly, though, Harvard was away from my family. Aaron just came with me."

"He was always along for the ride," Jamie muttered.

Allie glanced over at him, but didn't say anything.

"So, why did you go to Brown in the first place if you wanted to get away?" Nicki said. "Seems like you could've gone to undergrad anywhere."

"Started at 16," Allie replied. "Couldn't leave the state right away."

"So, you're, like, a genius then?"

"Not really."

"You graduated high school early."

"Studying kept me out of trouble," Allie said dismissively.

"Was your childhood _really_ that bad?" Linda asked.

"When you consider me having an abusive ex as the pinnacle of greatness for the family…"

"It was that bad," Jamie added, squeezing Allie's hand gently.

"I'm the second child of five," Allie found herself admitting to the family. "My youngest sister, Michelle, committed suicide when I was in med school, because of the hell my parents put her through. Alex, my older brother, flits from job to job, town to town, never settling down, because he feels unstable constantly, so he keeps his world unstable. And the twins… Katie… last anyone knew, she was turning tricks in Las Vegas, and Kevin deals drugs in South Beach. I only ever hear from Katie and Kevin when they're in trouble and looking for money. Alex calls from time to time, especially after he's changed his number…"

"Alex gets by. The others… well…"

"My hope is one day Alex will figure things out for himself," Allie said as she shifted in her seat.

"He will," Jamie assured her as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Just stick by him," Erin suggested.

"He knows I'm always there," Allie said. "Hence how he calls me now and again. But, we all avoid the past like it's the plague. I mean, outside of this weekend, I can't even remember the last time I went back to my parents' house."

"Ever wanted to?" Nicki asked.

Allie shook her head. "As beautiful as the place is, being anywhere near my parents…" Allie's voice trailed off as they all caught the implication.

"It _is_ beautiful, though," Jamie said as they began talking about the sights.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and support with this story! This is a shorter chapter, but it's building up to the final two chapters of the story (yes, this story's almost over). See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title comes from "Pieces" by Rob Thomas, which I don't own. I hope you all enjoy this one, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 16: There's a Weight in the Air, But You Can't See Why

Allie sighed heavily as she lay next to Jamie in bed. She stared at the ceiling, playing with the sheet softly, trying to keep her hands busy without waking up Jamie. She didn't want him to worry about why she was having _yet another_ sleepless night.

But, he was already awake, she realized, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. The warm, softness of his touch, the gentle strength of his hold on her… she felt so safe, and so comfortable in his arms.

So, why couldn't she sleep?

Jamie didn't say anything, as he held her close to him. He nuzzled her head gently as she tucked her face against his chest, clinging to him like a scared child. Which, she supposed, was a rather accurate description, considering she _was_ scared, and part of her felt like she was acting like a child.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as Banana made her way onto the bed, trying to get in between her and Jamie.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's only the cat."

She sighed, pulling away from Jamie slightly to allow Banana to get in between them. Banana quickly settled down, purring away as Allie stroked her soft fur slowly. She knew that she was okay, she was safe with Jamie, and that Aaron wouldn't try anything tonight.

…Right?

Jamie ran his hand smoothly up and down her arm, trying to get her to fall asleep. And yet… "Talk to me," he said softly.

"About what?" Allie replied quietly.

"Why you're not sleeping. Why you're frightened by your own cat."

"Aaron."

"He's not going to get you," he told her.

"I'm not just worried about me," she whispered.

"I'll be fine."

"He blew up your car. He fire-bombed my apartment. What if he only did that so that we'd live together, so that he could take both of us out at once?"

"He's not that smart, or diabolical."

"He _fire-bombed_ my apartment. He set it up so that I'd have minimal chance of getting out alive."

"But, you _did_ get out alive," Jamie reminded her.

"Only because I went looking for the cat," Allie replied. "Otherwise, I would've been trapped in the living room, with no chance of getting out. Because there was pretty much a ring of fire around the room."

"He should've expected that you wouldn't be in there. You really haven't done that since you brought Banana home. You almost always find her to play with."

Banana shifted her position between them, moving to lay on her back with her feet and belly up in the air.

Allie mindlessly stroked Banana's belly fur as the kitten purred. "I really should've named her something other than Banana," she commented absently.

"Well, you _did_ rescue her from a box of bananas," Jamie said softly.

"But still… Banana? What was I thinking there?"

Jamie shifted his position to better face her. "Are we talking about your name choice for the cat because you want to avoid talking about Aaron?"

Allie paused before saying, "maybe."

"Look, I know that you're scared. But I promise you, I will keep you safe."

"And if he kills you?"

Jamie shook his head. "Not gonna happen."

"You can't say that for sure."

"No, but I can say that I love you, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you're safe."

Allie nodded slowly.

Jamie moved to stroke her hair gently as he closed his eyes, knowing that she would stay awake, no matter what he did or said. Because when Allie got worried like this, nothing would let her sleep.

"I'm sorry to keep you up," she whispered.

"You're not," he replied, matching her tone.

"You're lying, and that's very sweet of you, and I love you for that, but I'm still sorry you're awake with me."

"I just wish there was something I could do to make you feel better."

"I know. I wish there was, too."

Banana fussed between them again, repositioning herself with a soft meow.

Jamie furrowed his brow. "Cats meow in their sleep?" he asked.

"Who said she was asleep?" Allie asked. "You ever heard of cat naps?"

"She is far too young to make a noise when she stretches."

"Same could be said about you."

He shrugged slightly. "Too many owners."

She swatted at him playfully as he smirked. "Ass."

"I _do_ have one."

She smiled as she closed her eyes. "Thanks," she muttered quietly, as she felt herself start to get tired.

"Any time," he replied as she finally started to fall asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: This is the second to last chapter! See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title comes from "The Ghost of You" by My Chemical Romance. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review!

* * *

Chapter 17: At The Top of My Lungs, In My Arms, She Dies

It started innocently enough.

The sun was shining brightly across the concrete jungle, otherwise known as New York City. A long day working the beat was all in preparation for a fun night out after shift. It was Friday, and everyone managed to have the weekend off for the first time in what felt like forever.

Tonight, they would celebrate.

"You're not seriously going to make me third wheel, are you?" Eddie remarked, looking across the shifter at Jamie.

"I thought you were seeing someone," Jamie replied.

"Oh, he turned out to be a jerk."

"Am I gonna have to kick his ass?"

"Already done."

Jamie smiled to himself. Eddie had come a long way from the girl he was initially partnered with, and he found himself impressed with her every day. The way she fought to defend the city they both loved after everything she'd been through.

On some days, he noticed, it still got to her. And then, on others, she seemed perfectly fine, like she'd never been assaulted at all. No matter what kind of day Eddie was having, Jamie made sure that she knew he was always there.

Which is what he was always reminding Allie.

Allie, however, had fallen back into her easy trust pattern with Jamie, pretty much from the moment they'd reconnected. And though it had taken her some time to _actually admit_ what Aaron had done to her, she always seemed to be comfortable with Jamie.

"Maybe you don't have to third wheel," he said, clearing that thought out of his head.

"Where are you going with this?" Eddie replied.

"I've got a buddy…"

"Ech," Eddie exclaimed, interrupting Jamie. "No. No buddies."

"Come on," Jamie said. "He's a nice guy. And hey, it'll keep you from third wheeling."

"No."

"What about one of Allie's buddies?"

"I don't know."

"Matt and Casey are coming, too."

"Ooo, I love Matt and Casey."

"Alright, then. It's settled. You're coming out with us tonight."

She sighed. "Fine."

* * *

_Of course it's fine_, he thought to himself. _Get the two of you out in the open? You're going down._

Aaron shifted his position in the car, looking at the package in the seat next to him. He ran his fingers along the edge, feeling the subtle pricking that came from the uneven cardboard. He smiled to himself.

"Yes," he said aloud. "You'll all be together tonight, out in the open, and that, my dear, is when I will make my move."

He smirked to himself in the rear-view mirror. "Tonight, you all die."

* * *

"Gonna be nice to be off this weekend, huh?" Linda asked as Allie jotted down a note on her clipboard.

"Yeah," she replied absently.

"You okay? You seem kinda out of it."

Allie shook her head. "They still haven't found him, so it's kinda like standing outside in a thunderstorm and waiting to get struck by lightning."

"They'll find him."

"Before or after he kills us?"

"No one is going to get killed. What are you up to tonight?"

"Jamie and I are having dinner and drinks with some friends."

"Sounds like fun."

Allie nodded. "Yeah. Matt and Casey are awesome guys. I think Eddie's joining us, though, because Jamie's asking if I have any cute, single guy friends to bring with me. Either that, or your brother-in-law has a side to him that even I don't know anything about."

Linda chuckled softly. "Maybe you should bring Dr. Adams with you," she said, nodding toward one of the other doctors. "I think Eddie would like him."

Allie looked over at him. "I'm fairly certain just about any girl would like him," she replied. "He's a pediatric intern, who's just passing through for the moment."

"He's still a nice guy. New guy."

Allie rolled her eyes at Linda. "Dr. Christopher Adams," Allie addressed him.

"Yes, Dr. Allison Daniels," he replied as he walked over.

"What are your plans for tonight?"

"Uh…"

"My boyfriend and I are getting some friends together for dinner and drinks, and I heard that you're rather new in town yourself, so I was wondering if you'd like to meet some semi-normal people from the city."

"Semi-normal?"

"You'd have to actually sit with us to understand," Allie replied.

"Well, I guess I'll find that out tonight, then," he replied. "What time?"

"7. And we tend to go for the casual when we go out, but not scrubs."

"Done." He scribbled his cell phone number down on a Post-it before passing it off to Allie. "Text me the details."

"Will do."

He walked away, and Linda smirked. "You realize you just accomplished something that half of the ER has been dying to do, right?" she teased.

"Too bad I can't enjoy it," Allie replied. "Too busy with your brother-in-law."

Linda shrugged. "Can't go wrong either way."

* * *

"Well, hello there, gorgeous," Casey said as Allie and Jamie made their way over to the table. "Jamie, you're looking nice as well." Casey hugged Allie and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey," Allie said. "It's good to see you. Where's your man?"

"Oh, running late as usual."

Eddie walked over to the table, smiling as she saw Casey. "Casey, darling," she teased as she hugged him.

"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie," he replied. "How do you put up with him all day long?"

She shrugged. "I like the job."

"I feel so loved," Jamie remarked as Chris walked over.

"Hey, you made it," Allie said.

"That I did," he replied.

"Chris, this is my boyfriend, Jamie, his partner, Eddie, and one of mine and Jamie's best friends from college, Casey."

"How _do_ you do?" Casey asked, smiling.

"Quite well, actually," Chris replied.

"Well, you look good, my friend. What can we get you this fine evening?"

"Just a beer, any kind."

"Martini, please," Eddie said.

"Jamie, you got this round?" Casey asked.

"You're getting the next," Jamie replied as he walked away.

* * *

_Drink up,_ he thought to himself. _That way there, you'll never know what hits you…_

* * *

After Matt had joined them, the group sat down to dinner. Jokes and banter, high-fives and handshakes, all things that went throughout the table, along with plates and shared food. Everyone was enjoying themselves so much, and having such a good time, that they'd forgotten just how crappy their week had been.

But, it was nothing compared to how bad it was about to be.

* * *

"Showtime," he said to himself with a deep smirk.

* * *

A feeling came over her, shaking her to her core. She knew almost immediately that something was about to pop off. But, what happened next… well, that wasn't something she was completely prepared for.

Especially as she got blown out of her chair.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I thank you all so much for the reviews, but mostly, I thank you all for sticking by me with this story, and the long gaps between updates. I truly appreciate it. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. The title for this chapter is from "Dangerous Game" by 3 Doors Down, and the italics are lines from the song "Sleeping At The Wheel" by Matchbox 20, and I own neither song. I hope you all enjoy this ending, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 18: We Throw All Our Hopes Away, And Set Our Dreams Aside

_But for the grace of God, I'm here_

He sat in the chair, positioned oddly in conjunction with the gurney. The room was too small for a chair, but the staff had been nice enough to put one in there, knowing how much she meant to him.

Knowing that she had given her life for him.

His heart went along with her, and he found himself absently wondering if he could ever be okay again. Because after this… things would never be the same.

He would be alone, again. And maybe he'd figure out a way to move on, but right now… right now, there was too much pain. He didn't know what he would do without her?

How could he ever live without her?

He couldn't control himself any longer. The tears cascaded down his cheeks in a heavy downpour, his sobs like thunder, rolling across the room, reminding people that danger was around every corner.

This shouldn't have happened.

There were thousands of people out there looking for him, and _none_ of them were able to find him in time. _None_ of them were able to stop this from happening. _None_ of them were around when he needed them.

He let her down.

He had failed her. He had vowed to keep her safe, and yet, here she was, lying dead on the gurney before him. This was his fault, as much as it was Aaron's. Because he was supposed to keep her safe, and he'd failed.

And now, she was dead.

The despair of losing her shook his body worse than any earthquake ever could, and he found himself praying that he would wake up, that this would all be some sort of horrific dream. He could practically hear her voice, calling out to him.

"Jamie?"

_But everything that's perfect falls away…_

"Jamie?" Linda said, shaking his shoulder gently.

"Huh?" he asked, waking up and finding himself lying on a gurney. "What? Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

He shook his head slowly before the memories hit him. The explosion. The gunshots. The blood…

"Where is everyone?" he asked, sitting up quickly and feeling himself wanting to fall over.

"Easy," Linda told him.

"Where are they?" Jamie asked again, more desperate.

"We're gonna need to run some tests on you. You've got a head injury."

"Linda!"

She looked up from the clipboard.

"Please," he practically begged. "Just tell me."

"I don't know," she replied. "Not everyone's come in yet."

Jamie felt the tears prick at the back of his eyes, threatening to fall.

"I promise, Jamie," Linda continued. "When I know something, you'll know something."

He nodded, fighting to keep from crying.

Linda patted him on the shoulder gently. "Good thoughts," she told him. "Pray."

He nodded slightly.

"I'll be back for you in a little while, okay?"

He nodded again, but remained sitting up on the side of the bed, even though part of him truly felt like he was going to fall off at any moment. He couldn't be sure if the dizziness came from his worry, or if it was because of his injury, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do at this point.

Besides sit and wait.

And pray.

_I was screaming out at everything, waiting for the walls to come down…_

After what felt like forever (and, to an extent had been, because he'd had his testing), Linda made her way back into his room with a somber expression on her face.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"It's bad," she replied.

Jamie bit his lip, afraid to ask the next question. "Who?"

_Before my moments start to fade…_

As the Mass ended, the Reagan family made their way out of the church, watching Jamie as closely as they could. The pain was still evident in his features, from every movement he made, even though that night in the bar had been two weeks ago. He stood just past the steps of the church, standing at the edge of the grass under the ever-watchful eyes of his family.

"Should we say something?" Erin asked Linda.

"He'll talk when he's ready," she replied.

Erin frowned, but nodded in agreement.

_We've become the walls we raise…_

The family gathered at the table, the spot next to Jamie open. Set for another person to join them, per his request. The rest of the family indulged him, knowing that he was in pain but also knowing that the intended person wouldn't be there.

At least, they _thought_ they knew that.

As the door creaked open, they were shocked to see Allie standing in the kitchen. Jamie smiled brightly, standing and walking over to her. He hugged her as tightly as he could without hurting her, knowing that she had spent the last two weeks in the hospital, recovering.

"I didn't think they were releasing you this soon," Jamie said softly.

"I'm a doctor," she replied. "I know how to play the system."

He smiled wider as they walked into the dining room, where she was greeted by hugs from everyone around the table. Once they all sat down again and the food had been passed around, Linda asked, "have you seen Eddie?"

"She's doing well," Allie replied. "She's being released tomorrow."

"That's great. I'm glad you guys are okay."

"Me too."

Jamie squeezed her hand gently.

"How's your friend Casey doing?" Nicki asked, looking at Jamie and Allie.

"He's angry," Allie replied.

"At Aaron," Jamie clarified.

Allie nodded solemnly. "I miss Matt already."

"Me too."

"I'm glad that bastard's dead," Henry said.

The Reagan family table echoed their agreement.

_All of the love we gave…_

Jamie and Allie stood outside, in the backyard of his childhood home. He kept his arm around her gently but protectively, happy to have the nightmare of Aaron behind them. Eddie, as injured as she had been, was the one who pulled the trigger, who killed Aaron after he'd blown up the bar and opened fire.

Many lives were lost that day in the bar.

Matt's included.

But, the worst was over.

And while they would always miss Matt, because he'd been a good friend to them and had helped them through tough times, they were thankful that the nightmare was behind them. That they could move on, and just be happy without the constant threat of Aaron hanging over their heads.

Jamie held her close, resting his chin against her shoulder. Neither one spoke for a while, as the sun began to set on the evening. But, then again, neither one really had to. Because they were perfectly content to just be together. To be alive.

After a few moments, he pulled away from her, and she looked up at him. He wordlessly reached into his pocket before getting down on one knee. She put her hands over her mouth as he presented the ring to her.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

She nodded before whispering, "yes."

_We were the end of it, but now we see the sun shining in our face_

The End.


End file.
